Margo
by starfishay
Summary: She met him at the age of thirteen, visiting the Institute for the first time. She almost tripped, but his hand caught hers and he never let go. SHADOWHUNTERS SEASON 1 Alec/OC
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

* * *

Margo Rose Devereaux.

Her name was the only thing she remembered.

She couldn't remember anything else, not even how she had come to stand in front of an old, gothic cathedral that seemed to be abandoned. That is, until a tall, blonde man strolled out of the Institute, eyeing Margo.

His general aura made Margo think he was waiting for her.

And he was.

"Margo, right?" he asked, staring down at the thirteen year-old.

Her brows furrowed and her fingertips tightened their grip on the strap of her backpack. Her mind was racing; thoughts popped out of nowhere. She tried to come up with reasonable, possible solutions as to why she couldn't recall anything or why this man seemed to be waiting for her.

"How do you know me?"

Her voice was anything but a squeak. She didn't understand where this sudden confidence came from or why she wasn't currently hassling the man with questions. She was eerily calm.

He smiled softly down at her, reaching a hand out to mess up her hair playfully. "My name is Hodge Starkweather. I've been expecting you."

Margo gazed past the man, to where he had left the cathedral door open. Inside, she could see fallen portraits, peeling paint, broken furniture. She glanced back at the man, frowning. "Where am I? Why can't I remember anything?"

He didn't bother responding. Instead, he held a hand out, waiting as she reluctantly took it. They slowly entered the cathedral, Margo never fully understanding what was happening. Given, she had her guard up at all times.

As they entered the foyer, Hodge slipped a hand in his pocket, taking out a lean, metallic object and holding it out to Margo. "May I?" She outstretched her hand, not exactly sure why she suddenly held so much faith in the stranger. He ran the object over her forearm, resulting in a burning sensation creeping up her upper body.

She winced slightly, seeing a tattoo adorning her left arm. "It's called a rune," Hodge informed, "And it allows you to see this."

And suddenly, the fallen portraits were floating back up into place and the paint seemed to be undoing all its years of peeling, and the furniture rose back to its original position and looked as good as new.

The cathedral wasn't just a cathedral anymore. Past the foyer rested some type of institution, a hideout of sorts. People were walking past the pair, decorated in runes, just like the one Margo had. They headed towards the advanced technology that lined the walls and the spaces of the main room.

Hodge urged her to step into this world, one she had never been aware of. She did so, observing her surroundings. "This is called the Institute. You were brought here upon your own will."

She turned at his words, her wavy dark brown hair moving fluidly as she did so. "My own will? Why can't I remember anything?"

"Margo, you're special. You came here because there was nowhere else for you to go. You can't remember anything because you don't want to."

She frowned. "Why wouldn't I want to remember anything?"

"That's a question you've got to ask yourself. And if want it enough, you'll remember," he replied.

Margo's thoughts were cut off as a tanned brunette, looking to be around the same age as her, rushed past, hiding behind Hodge. He smiled brightly. "Good evening, Isabelle," he greeted.

"Hi, Hodge." Her eyes trailed off to see Margo. "Who's this?" Isabelle's head popped out from behind Hodge, grinning over at Margo.

"This is Margo. She's new."

The brunette held a hand out to Margo, suddenly shifting to slightly crouch behind Margo. "Hi, I'm Isabelle. Sorry for using you as a human shield but I am currently hiding out from Alec."

"Who's Alec-" Margo was cut off as a dark-haired boy, looking undeniably similar to Isabelle, sauntered into the room.

His eyes barely scanned around before he saw his little sister hiding behind another brunette. "Izzy!" He rushed forward, barely giving Margo any time to react. He bumped into her, making her tumble backwards.

Her eyes squeezed shut as she prepared for the pain from falling that never came. Her eyes opened, seeing the hazel-eyed boy holding her hand to prevent her fall.

He questioningly turned towards Hodge, who properly introduced Margo to Alec.

Alec helped her return to her standing position, never once letting go of her hand. Instead, he shook it, letting a smile adorn his gorgeous face, one that matched hers. "Margo, this is Alec Lightwood. Alec, this is Margo Devereaux. She's going to be staying with us."

"I am?"

"She is?"

Hodge nodded, taking note of the fact that Margo and Alec's hands still hadn't parted ways. "And I have a feeling this is the start of something great."


	2. Chapter 1: Demons Dig Blondes

**CHAPTER 1: DEMONS DIG BLONDES**  
 **[S1E1 The Mortal Cup (Part I)]**

* * *

They were staring at each other, neither of them having blinked in what felt like forever ago. The corners of Margo's mouth turned up as she saw water welling up in Alec's eyes. She smirked, already tasting victory. He was strong though, and his determination helped him last longer in the staring contest. In fact, it helped him last two seconds more than Margo.

She suddenly felt something in her eye and blinked on instinct to rid herself of the irritation. "Hah!" Alec announced, pointing at her. "You blinked!"

"Did not!" The girl denied, feeling Alec do a small victory dance in the form of drumming his fingers on her legs, which rested on his lap. The two were sat on the couch, relaxing before the mission began, when their eyes met and they were suddenly caught in an unspoken contest.

"Admit it. I won." She shook her head. "Margo," he warned, raising an eyebrow at her, his eyes dancing with mischief. " _Mango_. Admit it."

He liked to call her Mango sometimes. It was a cute nickname.

"No!" she yelped as Alec's hands found their way to her stomach, lightly tickling her as a warning.

"Margo."

" _Alec_ ," she mocked, imitating the expression on his face. Margo knew she was treading on thin ice but she lived dangerously around Alec Lightwood. She didn't know why; it sort of just happened.

He brought out her wild side and she couldn't get enough.

Alec couldn't get enough either. He loved when her eyes squinted, the precious giggles came out of her mouth, and she held her stomach because she laughed too hard.

He wanted to emit such actions from her so he continued with his actions and smoothly dug his fingers into her side, forcing a giggle out of her. Oh, how he loved the sound; it was music to his ears.

Through her laughter, she tried to push Alec's hands away. Her legs kicked out, in an attempt to stop Alec, but he went on, dodging her blows until she couldn't take it anymore.

She cried out, yelling, "Okay! You won!" Then his long, slightly calloused hands stopped tickling her. In the process of being tickled, she had slipped down, her knees resting beside Alec as her legs dangled off the couch.

Alec was leaning on his elbow, trapping Margo between his body and the couch. He noticed how close the two were but before he could even get a word out, his younger sister was entering the room, calling out to the girl underneath him.

Upon entering the rather inexplicable scene, Isabelle ushered her parabatai. "M, I need you." She wasn't fazed by the seemingly intimate position she had found her best friend and brother in. "Come on." She held a hand out, waiting as Margo looked between the two Lightwood siblings. Though she loved spending time with Alec, Isabelle was her parabatai, her best friend, and she wasn't ever going to deny her anything.

So Margo nodded her head, turning to part with Alec. The two stood up and Margo took Isabelle's hand before turning back to Alec. "I won," were his final words as he booped Margo's nose and ambled away.

She scrunched her nose, glaring at the older Lightwood as he made his exit. Isabelle noted this and rolled her eyes before leading Margo up to her room. "I need help," she simply stated as Margo plopped down on her bed. Isabelle glanced at the outfit Margo was wearing before mumbling, "And so do you."

She pulled her best friend up, leading her one door down to Margo's room. As Margo took solace in her bed, Isabelle was rummaging through her closet. "Here," she finally said after a few moments of silence. She had laid down a tight, sleeveless red leather dress. "Put it on," she advised after picking out a pair of black pumps to pair with the dress.

"Izzy," Margo groaned. Thought she held that dress very near and dear to her heart, she just wasn't feeling it today. She wanted to go out wearing the jeans and sweater she had on. But Isabelle Lightwood was having none of that. She shook her head at Margo and nudged her towards the dress, leaving the room to attend to her own attire.

Once Margo had put on the dress and the shoes, she made her way over to Isabelle's room, watching from the doorway as she held up two wigs, one blond (or platinum, rather) and one teal. "Go with the platinum," Margo counseled. "For some reason, everyone loves blondes."

"Including demons," Isabelle added playfully. She spun it around in her hand, carefully placing any stray hairs back into place. As Margo softly hummed to herself, Isabelle looked back at her parabatai, wondering. "M, when are you and Alec going to get together?"

Margo's thoughts came to a halt when she heard Isabelle. This was a conversation she'd had many times with Izzy, one she hated having. Before she could speak, her best friend went on. "I mean, you two have practically been dating since you got here, and that was five years ago."

"Izzy, it's not that simple," Margo sighed, picking at the skin around her nails.

Isabelle grunted, moving to stand in front of Margo, who was stood at her doorway. "It is! You two act like a couple already. With literally everything, except the kissing. I wouldn't be surprised if that already happened too."

Margo could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks as she ran a hand through her hair. It was true, she couldn't deny it. Margo and Alec did act like they were together. Ever since they met, they couldn't keep their hands off each other. Whether it was an arm thrown across a shoulder or one on a waist or hands that were interlocked, the two always seemed to find their way back to each other.

Alec was Margo's guy and Margo was Alec's girl. Everyone knew that. That's why none of the other Shadowhunters their age ever tried to romantically involve themselves with one of the pair. They were very public with their relationship; it didn't bother them. They were also very comfortable around each other, which is why they always had a good time.

But their relationship wasn't all it seemed to be. Though alike, Alec and Margo were very different as well. Alec liked to enforce the Clave rules and Margo liked to break them. That was always an issue they had. They didn't fight often but when they did, it got ugly. One time, it even got physical, but they didn't like to talk about that particular moment.

Instead, they chose to ignore it, to sweep it under the rug. One day, though, the rug wouldn't hold and it would break and so would they.

But how could Isabelle even begin to understand why Margo and Alec could be so destructive to each other? They were platonic together but they were also each other's weakness. They could bring each other down with a snap of their fingers and that was detrimental to their friendship.

As Margo tried to form her thoughts into words, the older, raven-haired Lightwood's voice ran through the halls as he rushed the girls. "Isabelle, Margo, let's go."

Margo shrugged as Isabelle urged her to go on and instead walked out the door, hearing her best friend swear before she followed next to her.

"Hey, there, big bro," Isabelle smirked, seeing the way Alec looked between the two, spending a second too long taking in Margo's dress. His eyes shifted over to his sister and the wig she held.

"Really?"

Isabelle shrugged. "What can I say? Demons dig blondes."

He turned to his sister as the three walked up the stairs of the Institute. "Of course they do, but that's white." He pointed to the wig Isabelle held.

"Platinum," she corrected her brother. Alec turned to Margo, hoping for back-up. She shook her head. She had taken his side once against Isabelle on a matter such as this. Isabelle's reaction made sure that it never happened again. Alec groaned, also recalling the incident, and let his sister go on. "And they don't exactly like Shakespeare, okay, Alec?"

He rolled his eyes, mumbling under his breath. "You're plenty distracting on your own."

Isabelle heard, nudging his side and eyeing Margo. "So, be yourself. Is that what you're trying to say?"

Alec understood the gesture. He had been trying to deny his feeling for his best friend and his sister's parabatai. It was useless though; everyone knew of their feelings for each other, even the two people involved. And that was all thanks to Izzy. She had gossiped to Margo about how much Alec liked her and to Alec about the feelings Margo had for him.

"Never mind. Looking good, let's go," he muttered, leading the two girls up to HQ, where Jace stood in front of a large, touch-screen computer.

Margo walked in front of the bickering siblings, greeting the blonde Shadowhunter she had grown to call a brother. "We're ready, Jace."

He glanced back at the trio. "Nice choice, Izzy. Demons dig blondes."

Izzy stuck her tongue out at her older brother. "Told you."

"It's platinum," Alec teased.

Jace turned away from the computer, furrowing his eyebrows at his friends. "All right, guys, for some reason our demon friends are killing mundanes and draining their blood."

He walked a few feet in front of the three, leading them away from the computers. "Why do they want blood?" Alec asked. "Isn't that vampire territory?"

"I don't know, Alec. Lazy vampires, maybe?" Jace guessed.

Izzy perked up. "There must be something special about their blood."

"What could be special about mundane blood?" Alec asked as he conveniently cut his index finger on the edge of a sharp glass table he was walking past. He hissed, shaking his hand violently as she saw blood start to leak out of his finger.

Margo saw this as the perfect teasing opportunity and asked for Alec's hand. Once it was placed in hers, she held his finger and brought it up to her lips, latching onto his finger and swiping her tongue across the wound. Alec quietly gasped and the look of utter shock was clear on his face.

"Yeah, I don't get it. I mean, it doesn't taste anything like Shadowhunter blood," she innocently spoke as she let go of Alec's finger, resuming to her natural state and crossing her arms as she turned to Jace and Isabelle.

Alec, however, still had his mouth agape, his hand up with index finger held out, still damp from Margo sucking on it.

From her peripheral vision, she could see Alec's tense stature and looked to Izzy, winking at her best friend. Her parabatai went on, as if nothing had happened. "You get me a sample and I'll tell you exactly what they're looking for."

Jace pulled open the space in the wall where their seraph blades laid. He handed them out. "We'll have more answers when we figure out exactly who the demons are working for."

"So, you don't think they're acting on their own?" Isabelle asked as she and Jace walked ahead of Margo and Alec.

"No. They're not exactly creative thinkers; they're shapeshifters."

Margo tuned the two out when Alec's free arm slid down Margo's side, leaving tingles as he reached the bottom of her dress, tracing patterns with his fingertips on her bare skin. His hand slipped under the dress, tapping at Margo's upper thigh.

Her breathing quickened, though she'd never let it show. "What do you think you're doing?" she questioned casually as she stopped Alec and stood in front of him. His arm reappeared from under her dress and slipped around her waist.

He smirked. "What? You think you're the only one with the ability to drive the other crazy in this relationship?" He leaned down to her ear, whispering, "Two can play at this game, _Go_ ," before tugging at her earlobe with his teeth and quickly letting go. This left the teenage girl in front of him a distraught, hormonal mess.

He pulled back, taking Margo's free hand and smiling at her as if he hadn't just caused one of her ovaries to burst. They caught up to Alec and Isabelle, who stood in front of a large screen.

"Certainly took your time," Isabelle teased the two, eyeing their interlaced hands.

Margo stuck her tongue out at her best friend before focusing on Jace. "This is what our target looks like." On the screen was an elderly Asian man wearing glasses.

"Yeah, for now," Margo added, taking her hand away from Alec's and instead leaning into him, letting him wrap his arm around her waist.

The older Lightwood boy spoke from behind her. "Great. I'll get approval for the mission."

"Come on, Alec. By the time you've sent that message, we'll have killed six demons," Jace stated.

Margo turned around in Alec's arm as they walked towards the exit. "Besides, it's more fun to break the rules than to follow them."

And with that, they were off, into the night, demon-hunting. So, just another casual weekday for the Shadowhunters.


	3. Chapter 2: Redhead's Got a Hothead

**CHAPTER 2: REDHEAD'S GOT A HOTHEAD**  
 **[S1E1 The Mortal Cup (Part II)]**

* * *

By the time they had made it to Pandemonium, they were running a little behind the schedule Alec wanted to follow. Jace bumped into someone, a redhead, and the three others decided to leave him be as they walked towards the nightclub. They waited at the entrance for Jace, who was clearly taking longer than Alec desired. "Jace!" he called out, hurrying him into the club.

They found the demon quickly, seeing him shift into the body of a tall brunette in a tight, hot pink dress. Jace took the lead, following the demon with Izzy, Margo, and Alec hot on his heels, in that order. Margo felt Alec's hand rest on the small of her back so as not to lose her inside the packed club.

Izzy glanced back at the two, getting a thumbs-up from Margo for the blonde (platinum) wig she wore. After turning back, Margo looked up at Alec, whose chest was pressed against her back. "Why don't we ever come to clubs to actually dance?" she asked aloud.

He shook his head, wearing his game-face, or as Margo liked to call it: his "resting bitch face." At first she thought he hadn't heard her, but then he took hold of her hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it. "Next time, promise," he said.

The foursome entered a private space in the club, Jace pulling the curtains as they entered, ensuring privacy.

"Izzy," Jace started. She nodded her head, making her way up to the podium and slipping out of her jacket. She pulled off her wig, dancing slowly and pulling the demons around her in a trance. They were too occupied with watching Izzy's body to notice Jace walk up to the demon as Alec and Margo took their places a few feet away. Alec rested against a pillar, pulling Margo to his body. The girl crossed her arms, watching as Jace conversed with the demon.

She heard him mumble, "Last chance," before his seraph blade came out to play.

The redhead from earlier, the one who had bumped into Jace, was suddenly in the room with them, screeching at the demon, "Watch out!"

She pushed the demon out of the way just before Jace did the same to her. The demon's true form exposed itself as it launched itself at Jace. Whilst Izzy used her electric whip to manage the demons near her, Alec and Margo fought those around them using their own seraph blades. Roars and grunts and growls filled the room.

By the time the fighting had stopped and all that remained were the four Shadowhunters, the redhead escaped the room, clearly in a panicked state. "Should we go after her?" Margo questioned as she neared Alec, letting him grab her face in his hands and check her body for any wounds.

Jace shrugged, letting his friends go back to the Institute while he followed the girl, ensuring her safety.

Margo couldn't jump faster at the offer, having had enough physical activity for one night.

Once they made it back to the Institute, they all managed to find their way to the kitchen, grabbing two tubs of ice cream, and then to a recreational den, where the three rested up until Jace came back. Because he was outnumbered 2 to 1, the three Shadowhunters ended up watching _Project Runway_ , Isabelle and Margo's favorite pastime.

As the minutes passed, Margo became tired, leaning against Alec, who sat to her right. His arm wrapped around her as Izzy laid down on Margo's left side, resting her legs on her parabatai's lap. Margo fell asleep soon after the three had shared two tubs of ice cream between themselves. The Lightwood siblings were in the middle of their fourth episode when they heard Jace come home.

Whilst Izzy found it easy to slip away from the couch, Margo was practically laying on top of Alec. The two siblings made eye-contact and silently approved of the plan that Isabelle would go check up on Jace whilst Alec would stay with Margo.

Almost an hour later, he woke her up, wanting to get her into her comfortable bed rather than sleep down here. "Mango, come on." He gently shook her, watching as her eyes fluttered open and she softly smiled up at the handsome face in front of her.

Her hand came up to cup his cheek. "Alec, you're cute," she bluntly stated, still half-asleep, before standing up and letting him grab hold of her hand. "But I hate you for waking me up," she finished off, allowing him to lead her to her room.

On the way, they passed by a medical room, where they heard Isabelle and an unknown voice. Margo's eyes squinted, wondering who the stranger could be. Just as she pulled Alec into the room, Jace entered behind them.

"All I know is some psychos took my mother, and now you people have taken me." Upon entering the room, Margo matched the voice to the face of the redhead at the club. They just couldn't shake her, could they?

The sleepiness in Margo's voice could be heard as she responded, gripping tightly onto Alec's hand. "And by _taken_ , I assume you mean _saved your life_?"

"A mundane shouldn't even be here," Alec said from beside her. Margo hummed in agreement.

"Where is _here_ , exactly?" the redhead asked angrily. It was an appropriate reaction for someone who wasn't aware of the surroundings or people.

"Oh, redhead's got a hot head," I commented playfully, high-fiving Izzy for the play on words.

Jace ignored her, turning to the couple in front of him. "She's not a mundane, Alec."

"How do you know that?"

He pointed at the girl. "Because the seraph blade lit up when she touched it." He turned to the younger Lightwood, who was sitting by the redhead's feet. "Look, Isabelle, can you..." She nodded, standing up and letting Jace take her place.

He sighed as he looked at the mundane. "I'm Jace Wayland," he introduced.

Margo let a yawn escape her lips as she started at the mundane. Alec noticed and rubbed her side softly, calming her back to an almost sleep trance. She was hesitant to respond. "I'm uh-"

Jace cut her off. "Clary Fray. We know who you are."

So, the redhead had a name. Suited her.

"I didn't know who she was," Margo mumbled from beside Alec, a pout set on her lips.

He found it extremely adorable and couldn't resist the urge to kiss her forehead, pulling her closer to him. He caught Clary looking and shifted his feet, letting Margo wrap her arm around his torso. "Am I the only one who finds this unusual?" He turned to Jace.

"You find everything unusual, Alec."

"I have to report this to the Clave," his parabatai announced.

Jace sighed, irritated. "You know what? Dial it down a notch."

Isabelle, who sat on a couch beside the bed spoke up. "My brother doesn't have a dial." This made Margo snort. "I love you, Alec, but you have a switch that's always on."

Alec glanced at her. "I love you, too." Margo stared up at him, nudging him. He added on, "You too, Mango. But this just-"

"Hey, you know what?" Jace seemed to be doing a lot of cutting off today. "Give me a minute. Here's a word you never hear me say: Please?"

Alec glanced between Jace and Clary. He sighed. "What is with you?" Margo looked over at Isabelle and the two had an unspoken agreement. The younger Lightwood sibling stood up, walking up to Alec and Margo. "Really, no, what is with him?"

Margo grabbed hold of Alec's hand as Izzy linked arms with him. "Walk with us, big brother. We'll explain it to you."

As the three exited the room, Alec spoke up. "We don't know this girl. There's no such thing as new Shadowhunters."

"Maybe there is now," Margo suggested.

He frowned. "You don't find that strange?"

Isabelle chuckled, stopping the three of them and standing in front of the couple. "What I find strange is that you're so upset. Maybe you're upset by the way Jace is looking at her, that he took action." Alec rolled his eyes, suddenly understanding that Isabelle was referring to Margo. "You know, you should be happy that Jace is interested in someone other than himself."

Margo chuckled, "Yeah, Alec, at least someone around here is getting some action."

"Oh, please," Isabelle stated, "You two are as close to _getting some action_ as it gets."

Margo rolled her eyes at Isabelle, looking up at Alec as he continued. His reply made the playful smile on both the girls' faces drop. "Maybe I'm pissed that she ruined the mission. We never found out who's buying the blood. That was our one job."

He took a glance behind Isabelle, to the room they had just left Jace and Clary in, and huffed, walking away to his room. Margo and Isabelle sighed, looking at each other.

Both knew that Alec took the missions very seriously, probably more seriously than his three companions all did together. Therefore, it was also easy to assume he took it the hardest when they failed. It wasn't often but when it did happen, Alec would need some time by himself before either Margo or Isabelle went up to his room to console him.

Usually, it was Margo. She would make her way up to his room and stay up the whole night, talking with the handsome Lightwood. Then, they would fall asleep, wake up, and try not to mention the night before.

If there was one thing Alec Lightwood hated, it was coming off as weak. He wasn't ever like this around his parents or strangers but when it came to his two best friends and his sister, there was a sense of understanding. They were all in this together, through thick and thin; they all had the same experiences so they all understood.

There were times when Margo or Isabelle or even Jace would have such moments. They would lock themselves in their rooms for a while before dealing with their stress in different ways. Margo usually talked with Jace about it, mostly cause Alec wasn't very much into the whole _talking about feelings_ thing. Isabelle would usually talk to Margo about it and Jace rarely talked to any of them about it. He would eat, nap, and after a while, he just let it go.

"I'll take this one," Margo said before Isabelle could offer. Her best friend nodded before wandering off to her own room. Margo let out another yawn, never realizing just how tired she was until she made her way into the kitchen, grabbed a jar full of peanut butter. They didn't need utensils - her and Alec were savages when it came to peanut butter.

Her feet were in front of Alec's door soon after and she knocked twice before hastily entering.

There he sat, Alexander Lightwood, in a pair of sweatpants and nothing else, laying atop his bed, with his nose stuck in a book.

Margo took a few seconds to admire the view - all her hot fantasies featuring Alec always started like this - before shaking her head of unspeakable thoughts.

She made her way over to his bed, sitting down beside Alec and wordlessly opening the jar and waiting for him to stick his finger inside so she could follow suit.

He did so after placing his book on his nightstand. "You okay?" she asked after a few moments of silence. Alec shrugged. "Look, I know this is important to you, Alec. We'll figure something out."

He frowned. "Will we? Because we had a perfectly good chance until that _little girl_ ruined everything!" It was more than clear that Alec was not fond of Clary.

"Babe, I know," she soothed, trying to comfort him by drawing circles a little too close to his v-line.

"We can't keep her."

Margo laughed softly. "She's not a dog, Alec. We can't just talk about her like we can get rid of her. Jace obviously sees something in this girl. When was the last time you saw him interested in something that wasn't his reflection? Maybe we should give her a chance."

" _Go_ , you don't understand," Alec protested, "I have a bad feeling about her. She's already caused so much trouble in the few hours we've known her."

She moved herself closer to Alec, letting their limbs tangle as they both laid down. "Do you remember when we first met?"

He scoffed, almost as if the rhetorical question was offensive. "Of course I do."

"Then you remember that during my first few weeks here, I did nothing but cause trouble and have tantrums. She's not too different from me."

Alec was quick to defend her. "She's nothing like you, Margo." He moved his lips to her body, placing soft kisses down her neck. "She could never be."

They spent the rest of the night laying in Alec's bed, recalling memories from their youth, and just before the clock struck 2 am, the pair could be found asleep in Alec's bed, wrapped up in each other.


	4. Chapter 3: Two First Names

**CHAPTER 3: TWO FIRST NAMES**  
 **[S1E2 The Descent Into Hell Isn't Easy (Part I)]**

* * *

The wake-up call was more of a yell than a call. And it came from none other than Isabelle Lightwood.

"Wake up!"

Margo flinched, unintentionally pushing herself back into Alec, who almost rolled right out of bed. Margo caught his hand before he did and pulled him back, breathing heavily after practically having a heart attack. She laid back once Alec was safe from falling, letting him keep his arm around her.

Margo glared at her parabatai. "I'm going to kill you," she calmly said to Isabelle. "Alec and I are going to go back to sleep but once I wake up, I will kill you, Izzy."

And she pulled Alec's duvet over their heads, blocking out Isabelle. If there was one time when Margo was grumpy, it was when she was woken up from a nap.

Isabelle didn't budge, though. " _Go_ , seriously. Come on, I need to show you guys something."

Within moments, all full of groans and curses, Margo was being pulled out of bed by Alec, who took the smaller Shadowhunter's hand as Isabelle led them down to HQ. "Check this out." She sat in a seat, pulling up the surveillance cameras from outside the Institute.

Jace and Clary were making their way inside, followed by a scrawny brown-haired boy wearing glasses. As the Lightwood siblings watched the cameras on the screen, Margo's eyes moved over to the door the three would be entering through in no time.

And they did.

Jace led Clary and her mundane friend to the large touch-screen in the middle of the room. "That makes perfect sense, 'cause there are demons running all around New York," the mundane spoke as they neared Margo.

"That is the first correct thing you've said all day," Jace sassed.

Margo felt Alec shift from behind her, eyeing the stranger that had entered with Jace and Clary. He rolled the sleeves of his leather jacket up slightly, making his way a few feet away from the girls and towards Jace. "What is going on? Why is there a mundane in the Institute?"

He glanced at Jace before staring down the boy. His parabatai sighed. "A Circle member followed him to get to Clary."

"A Circle rune, just like the guys that took my mother," Clary softly spoke, maintaining eye-contact with Alec.

Margo took a seat on the table beside where Isabelle sat on the rolling chair, listening in on the conversation. "What exactly is a Circle member and why are they trying to kill us?"

"All we know is... a long time ago, the Circle led a revolt. A lot of Shadowhunters got killed... including my father," Jace informed. Margo's eyes instantly wavered to the Wayland boy, her heart aching for him.

Alec continued. "And since the revolt, we've been forbidden to even hear about the Circle."

Clary's brows drew together. "But, how is that even possible? It's your history."

Margo unintentionally snorted from behind the foursome. "Says the girl who didn't know she was a Shadowhunter?" Her eyes bored into Clary.

Clary's friend glanced back at Margo before doing a double take. He found her absolutely gorgeous. His eyes widened as they slowly traced the outline of her body.

Meanwhile, the redhead scoffed. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. And now the only person who knows the truth is missing, so I don't care about your rules or what's forbidden. I'm-There's got to be someone out there who can tell us why they've taken my mother."

As she spoke, the words entered through one of Margo's ears and went right out the other. This was all because of a certain dark-haired, hazel-eyed Shadowhunter who turned to look at Margo as she spoke and then made his way over. Margo repositioned herself on the desk as Alec walked up to her and stood between her legs, letting one of his hands rest on her upper thigh while the other teasingly pulled at her hair.

They were both so consumed in each other than neither realized the odd looks Clary's friend was giving them.

"Hi," she whispered, feeling the corners of her mouth turn up into a smile.

Alec smirked, running his tongue across his lips. "Hi."

"You coming?" Margo heard Jace ask Clary. She agreed and from the corner of her eye, Margo could see Clary's friend following her. "No, no, no. Not you."

"Hey, we're a packaged deal," Clary fought. Her friend nodded his head in agreement.

Jace looked past Clary at Isabelle and Margo. "There are runes all over the training room floor that could kill your mundie boyfriend."

They were both quick to deny it. "He's not my-"

"I'm not, like-" They both paused before the mundie began again. "We're, uh, just friends."

"Best friends."

Margo cringed, feeling the tense friend-zoning happening from all the way where she sat. She sighed, pushing Alec back a step before sliding off the desk and onto her feet. Her chest was squished up against Alec's, leaving the Lightwood boy breathless for a few seconds. Margo noticed this and smirked, pushing him back a little more so he would turn around and she could stand next to him as they both watched the interaction.

Alec's arms crossed over his chest in a powerful, protective way and Margo nearly died. The resting bitch face was back and hotter than ever.

The mundie was very talkative. "Yeah, and I'm tough. I can handle runes. So, uh, bring on the runes." He paused a moment. "What exactly are runes?"

Isabelle stood from her chair, making her way to stand beside Margo, pulling her parabatai close. "They give Shadowhunters our demon-fighting powers." The boy turned as he heard Isabelle, watching as she ran her stele over the rune on her forearm.

His eyes widened as he looked between Isabelle and Margo, both wearing very tight leather clothing. He was in a daze. "So hot."

Alec extended his arm, slinging it over Margo's shoulder and pulling her close. He didn't like the way the mundie was staring at her.

Jace cleared his throat, forcing the mundane back to reality. He turned to look at Jace. "The rune."

The mundane cleared his throat, turning when he heard Isabelle's mesmerizing chuckle. "Don't worry, Clary. I'll watch over the best friend." She walked closer seductively, not even realizing she was doing so. "In fact, I was about to make breakfast."

Margo softly laughed from behind, leaning into Alec and crossing her arms. "On second though, the runes might be less lethal." Alec chuckled from next to her, pulling his arm so Margo closed the small distance between them, and placed a kiss on the side of her head.

Meanwhile, Isabelle was not too entertained, despite the smile on her face she held as she stared at the mundie. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Please excuse my best friend's lack of manners." She pointed behind her, where the couple stood closely. Margo's hand found its way to the one belonging to the arm that was currently slung over her shoulder and interlocked her hand with Alec's. "This is Alec, that's Margo... and I'm Isabelle," she introduced, holding her hand out to the mundie.

He glanced back at Margo, quickly averting his gaze when he saw the glare Alec had directed at him, and instead looked back at Isabelle. He took her hand, shaking it nervously. "Lewis, Simon. Simon Lewis. Two first names. Am I still talking?" he blurted.

"Just like you, _Go_. Two first names," Izzy commented. "Margo Rose."

Margo chuckled. "Izzy, Lewis is his last name. If it worked your way, we'd all have two first names. Isn't that right, Alexander Gideon-"

Alec cut her off, holding a hand over Margo's mouth. "Right." He did anything not to have his horrid middle name mentioned.

Isabelle giggled. Jace spoke up from behind. "See? Best friend's safe and sound here."

"Jace, if anything happens to him-"

Simon cut Clary off, oblivious to his eyes trained on Isabelle's body. "Go on, I'll be fine. I think." He softly smiled, allowing Clary and Jace to exit the room.

Before Jace exited, he cupped his hand on Simon's shoulder, getting his attention. He whispered, "Hey, uh, don't eat the food. Dangerous." He smirked, winking at Margo, before exiting.

When Isabelle turned to her parabatai, motioning towards Simon, Margo understood. She kept hold of Alec's hand but pulled them from her shoulder, instead choosing to swing their hands between them. "Okay, well, Alec and I are going to, uh..." Margo's voice ran off, not able to choose what to say next.

"Be in my bedroom," Alec saved her. Well, not exactly saved.

With the wide-eyed look Simon was giving her, Margo just couldn't help herself. "Yeah, having hot, steamy Shadowhunter sex." And when Simon heard it, he was in even more of a daze. Holy hell, he could not believe his ears.

Isabelle, however, understood her parabatai's playful nature and nodded her head, smirking at the two. "Don't be too loud," she said, leading Simon to the kitchen. "And don't break anything, like last time," she warned.

From a distance, she could hear him ask, "You guys are joking, right?"

And just because it was too easy to mess with him, Isabelle replied, "Not even a little."

From Simon's point of view, he couldn't believe Alec had feelings for someone. He looked so stoic and emotionless all the time. He couldn't believe he had somehow caught the eyes of Margo.

He was so comfortable around her, always touching her, always smiling when she was near. Thinking about it a second time, he could see exactly how Alec was attracted to someone, how he was attracted to Margo.

Margo giggled at Isabelle's response, turning to Alec, who brought her hand up to kiss the back of it. " _Hot, steamy Shadowhunter sex_ , huh?" She shrugged, looking at him innocently. "How do you even know that hot, steamy Shadowhunter sex is different from regular hot, steamy sex?"

She smiled knowingly at him. "I mean, humans don't exactly have that _wow_ factor, right? Whereas we get all sweaty and hotter from working out and kicking demon ass all the time, they don't exactly do much."

And it was true, Alec couldn't deny it. Being Shadowhunters, both of them worked out every day in the most intense of circumstances. "So, what now? Are we going to have that hot, steamy sex you were talking about?"

Margo smiled mischievously, pulling his hand towards the training room. "Something like that," she mysteriously spoke.

They changed into the appropriate clothing - a pair of black sweatpants for each, a black crop tank for Margo and a tight-fitted t-shirt for Alec. They both looked hot, if Margo said so herself.

They trained for well over an hour, using everything from weapons to their bare hands. They ended when Alec had Margo pinned down, his hands tightening their grip on her wrists, holding them down, as he straddled her.

She huffed before saying, "Well, this isn't exactly how I imagined it. I mean, I'd love to end up sweaty and breathless, pinned under you, but in a completely different situation."

Alec rolled his eyes, moving off the petite girl and laying beside her. They both took a moment to regulate their breathing. Once they started recovering, Margo stood up, helping Alec up as well, and handed him a towel after using one up herself.

After they were both semi-decent, they made their way up the stairs, to their separate rooms and showers. As they passed by Izzy's room, Margo could hear her best friend talking to the mundane.

She motioned for Alec to follow her and the two stood beside each other as they eyed Isabelle and Simon talking through her open door. "So, the Circle... if they're as bad as they say they are, it's not good for Clary, is it?" he asked, fixing his glasses.

Him and Isabelle both turned, seeing Margo leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, with Alec standing behind her. "It's not good for any of us."

Simon took in their state, messy hair sticking to their faces, breathing heavy, sweating slightly. He couldn't help but wonder if the joke about Shadowhunter sex was actually not a joke at all.

Meanwhile, Margo was doing her own thinking. Looking at Simon and how he was worried for Clary gave her an insight on her and Alec. Simon was worried about Clary because he couldn't protect her properly against the Circle. Hell, he didn't even know the Circle existed a couple hours ago.

Margo was grateful for Alec. He was part of the same world she was. He understood the monsters they lived with and he was prepared to fight them off. They had it a lot better in their relationship than Clary and Simon did.

With her comment, Margo walked away from Isabelle's room, towards her own to shower.


	5. Chapter 4: Warlock Hunting

**CHAPTER 4: WARLOCK HUNTING**  
 **[S1E2 The Descent Into Hell Isn't Easy (Part II)]**

* * *

A half hour later, Margo emerged from her bathroom, wearing a simple white t-shirt and a pair of dark jeans with tan boots to match. She allowed her hair to air dry in its natural, curly state. When she heard voices from Isabelle's room, she acknowledged two things. The first was that she was very anti-social. Practically no one ever came into her room whilst Isabelle had multiple visitors in one day. Second, Clary was back. It was her voice Margo heard alongside Isabelle's.

She walked into her parabatai's room, eyeing Clary as she stared in the mirror, wearing one of Isabelle's tops.

"This is the least revealing thing you have?" the redhead asked Isabelle as she fixed her hair. Margo took a seat on Isabelle's bed, letting her best friend plop down beside her and pull her into her side.

Margo replied to Clary's question. "Clary, that's pretty modest for Isabelle. Besides, all the naughty bits are covered."

Isabelle raised an eyebrow. "A little too much, in my opinion."

Clary sighed, turning away from the mirror and walking to rest against a pillar in Isabelle's room. "Where's Simon?" She covered her arms over her chest. Whether it was to look intimidating or because she felt uncomfortable in the top, Margo couldn't tell.

"Who?" When Clary glared at Isabelle, she dropped the act. "Kidding. He's in good hands with the boys."

As Margo leaned on her elbow, Clary continued. "So, um... you, Margo, Alec and Jace are... what, like a family?"

Isabelle chuckled, meeting eyes with Margo. "Translation: you want to know if either of us have a thing with Jace."

"Why would I care?"

"Because you do," Margo spoke up, joining the conversation. "Don't worry. In every way, he's like our brother."

Isabelle smirked, nudging Margo. "Besides, have you seen the way my brother and Margo look at each other? They're practically undressing each other with their eyes every time they're in a room together."

"We do not!" Margo denied. "... most of the time." Izzy snickered. "Isabelle, Clary doesn't know us. Would you please stop making Alec and I look like crazy nymphomaniacs in front of her?"

Izzy rolled her eyes, turning back to Clary. "Our parents took Jace in when he was ten. We trained together. Learned to fight side by side."

"What about you, Margo?"

"I showed up here when I was thirteen. Couldn't remember a damn thing. And, I guess I've just been here ever since."

Clary sighed, avoiding eye-contact with the two Shadowhunters. "A few days ago, all I had to worry about was getting into art school." She inhaled. "And now..."

"Is this the part where we give you the pep talk about harnessing your inner Shadowhunter and accepting your true destiny?" Margo asked, sitting up.

"Was that the pep talk?"

Izzy stood up, making her way over to Clary. "Basically." She started fixing Clary's hair. "Remember, you were born to do this. No matter what has happened, this is who you are."

"Not exactly feeling that," Clary replied honestly.

"Yet," Margo tried.

Clary nodded. "Okay, but now we just have to find Dot."

Izzy rubbed her hands together. "And track and kill the most dangerous rogue Shadowhunter in history before he kills us all."

Margo groaned as Clary sighed. "You really know how to ruin a pep talk, don't you?" the redhead asked.

"Izzy, we talked about this, remember? No more two steps forward, three steps back?"

Izzy shrugged, taking her parabatai's hand and pulling her out the door. "Come on, let's go. She turned back to Clary. "Oh, and Simon is kind of nerd-hot."

Clary's mouth hung open as Margo retorted. "I'm just glad Alec's her brother. So glad I do not have to go through what you just went through. Boy, was that awkward." She patted Clary on the back before following Izzy out the door.

Simon caught up to Clary as the three girls walked down to HQ. Isabelle and Margo sped up, leaving the two to converse.

From a few feet ahead, they could hear Simon try to convince Clary to leave the Institute. Isabelle led her parabatai to the hole in the wall where their seraph blades laid. She was running a hand through Margo's blade, about to grab it and hand it to her best friend, when Jace interrupted. "Whoa. No, Izzy."

Margo leaned against the wall beside their seraph blades, crossing her arms as Izzy smirked, hearing her brother's footsteps quickly approaching. Margo, hearing the same sound, unintentionally started to tame her stray hairs and smooth out her shirt. "Fifty bucks says he doesn't approve this mission," Izzy challenged.

Margo gave her a smug smile. "Whatever I bet, I'm going to lose." They both knew that the older Lightwood would not take to this information easily.

As if on queue, Alec marched up to them. "I don't approve of this mission." Margo and Isabelle shared a knowing grin. "I spoke with the Clave. They're sending Seelie scouts to search for Valentine, but they made it clear: the little girl does not leave the premises."

His hand gestured towards Clary, who knocked it away. "My name is not little girl, okay? I don't care what the Clave think or what you want. I'm gong to find Dot."

Jace spoke up from behind her, clearing his throat, eyeing his best friend. Alec's glare transferred from Clary to Jace. "Alec, this warlock could have the answers we need. With Valentine's people out there searching for Clary, she's not safe outside alone."

However much she hated to admit it, Isabelle agreed. "Jace has a point." She spoke softly, trying to minimize the damage her words would have on her brother.

"Et tu, Izzy?" His hands rose then slammed down by his thighs, defeatedly. He turned to Margo, who was desperately taking all measures to try and avoid his eyes. She tugged at the hem of her shirt before looking up and meeting his hazel eyes with her green ones. " _Go_ , you cannot possibly be okay with this."

"I'm not," she quickly denied. "But, Alec, she's going to look for the warlock, no matter what. Wouldn't it be better if we were at least there to protect her?"

He pressed his lips together, scowling before staring down at Clary. "All right, since you have all the answers, where do you suggest we search?"

"We should start at Dot's apartment in Greenpoint, and there's this thrift store that she-" As Clary's hands played with her necklace, she suddenly gasped, pausing for a few seconds.

Jace seemed to take note of what was happening. "What's wrong? What is it?"

Clary stared at him, still toying with her necklace. "I, um... Weirdly, I think I know where Dot is."

"Great, I'll drive," Simon spoke up, holding his hands out, keys in his palm. Alec and Jace turned, giving him a once-over. "What? Unless you have, like, a Shadowhunter-mobile or something." Izzy laughed, bringing a smile to Simon's face until he looked down at his feet. "You were kidding about the runes on the floor killing me, right?"

Jace glanced at Alec, who smirked back at him. Margo noticed this and nearly died because of how attracted she was to Alec Lightwood in that moment. He sure knew how to get a girl riled up.

Jace eyed Margo and Isabelle before looking back at Simon, shrugging. "Possibly." He patted his cheeks before making a bee-line for the exit.

Alec held a hand out to Margo, which simply shocked the girl. She thought he would be angry with her and act coldly towards her, Isabelle and Jace the whole night. Boy, was she surprised when he held his hand out. She quickly latched onto it, never wanting to let go of his hand. In that moment, she realized how much she loved the little things, like holding Alec's hand - she loved the tingles she felt when she held his hand.

The pair followed Jace and Margo turned around when Simon asked, "Wait... am I going to die?" Isabelle was locking arms with him as Clary walked in front, following Margo and Alec.

By the time they had made it near Pandemonium, Clary was speeding ahead, with Simon and Jace quickly in tow. It occurred to Margo, as she walked between Alec and Izzy, that Clary had absolutely no idea that she currently had two boys interested in her. Clearly, she only saw Simon as a friend and she had only known Jace for one night to even consider her feelings for him.

The four Shadowhunters kept a watchful eye out, searching for anything in the shadows that might jump out at them, always ready. Alec's hand tightened around Margo's, pulling her a bit closer. He had a bad feeling about this and wasn't ready to lead his girl into harm's way.

Clary paused, whispering, "Dot," before quickening her speed into a full-out run.

"I did not sign up for gym class," Margo groaned, starting to run alongside everyone.

Jace tried to stop her. "Clary! Clary, stop! Where are you going?" The redhead finally stopped for a second, giving Margo a chance to regain her breath. She circled around, looking up at the rooftops to ensure the gang's safety.

"Two men, Circle members... the same ones who came to my house, who took my mom. They have Dot. They're going to hurt her or kill her. We have to stop them!" she screeched before quickly entering Pandemonium.

Margo groaned. "Seriously?!" She followed everyone into Pandemonium, noticing them come to a slow stop, looking around. The nightclub was trashed - broken glass everywhere, shattered plates, flickering lights.

"No, she was just trying to help me," Clary spoke, her breath trembling. "Now she's gone." She came to a stop inside the middle of the club, allowing the others to form a circle around her.

Simon placed a hand on her arm comfortingly. "Clary, I'm sorry."

She looked between the four Shadowhunters. "You don't understand. Dot's like my big sister."

Alec spoke what Margo was thinking. "It's not safe here. We have to go back to the Institute right now."

"Yeah, this place is giving me the creeps," Margo added, running a hand along her lower-arm, where goosebumps had risen. She subconsciously stepped closer to Alec, allowing the dark-haired boy to wrap an arm around her waist.

Clary did not like the way the two were behaving. "So, what now? Valentine has my mom and Dot, and we're just going to give up? What about my memories? They can't just be gone."

Jace lifted an eyebrow, looking towards his three friends. "There is another option."

Izzy pointed a finger at Jace. "Don't even-"

Alec was quick to deny him too, shaking his head. "Absolutely not!"

Margo threw her hands up to dramatize her reaction. "Are you crazy?!"

The three other Shadowhunters in the room expressed their thoughts at the exact same moment. None of them were so desperate that it had to come to this, to them.

"I'm not afraid of the Silent Brothers."

"Well, I am, and I do not have a death wish," Margo retorted, leaning into Alec.

Clary, however, was interested. "Who are the Silent Brothers?"

"They're Shadowhunters with superior powers," Jace answered.

"Who possess the ability to recover memories," Izzy added.

Alec replaced his arm around Margo's waist with one hung over her shoulder instead. He raised an eyebrow, finishing off. "A process that can also kill you, so there's that."

Simon turned and pointed at him, an odd look on his face. "Your bedside manner is abysmal."

Margo's eyes glared as she growled, "You're abysmal," at Simon, standing up for Alec. She cuddled further into his side, eyes staring dreadfully at Simon, who quickly looked away, feeling uncomfortable.

The couple together, with Alec's arm around Margo, wearing leather and holding glares, were a dangerous combination for Simon Lewis.

Alec watched this interaction and grinned, absolutely loving the way Margo became protective of him. He kissed the side of her head before turning to Jace. "We've broken at least eighteen Clave rules and now you want to go to the City of Bones? There's no way. I won't allow it."

"This isn't our choice to make, Alec," Jace argued, turning to the redhead. "This is Clary's decision."

Isabelle huffed. "You can't ask her to do this."

Margo agreed. "She's known about our world for a day, Jace. She doesn't know what she's facing. She's not prepared."

Clary, who hadn't spoken for a while, looked between the four Shadowhunters. "If anyone can tell me another way to recover my memories and still get the answers we need, I'm listening." The four all looked around at each other. Margo looked up at Alec, who pursed his lips and shook his head down at her. When none of them replied, she went on. "That settles it."

Jace nodded, smiling a little bit. "See?" He turned to Alec and Margo. "I told you she's one of us." He walked back out of Pandemonium, followed by the other five.


	6. Chapter 5: He Passes the Time

**CHAPTER 5: HE PASSES THE TIME**  
 **[S1E2 The Descent Into Hell Isn't Easy (Part III)]**

* * *

They drove for a while, until they reached their destination. Alec opened the door to the back of the van, hopping out and holding a hand out to assist Margo. Though the brunette did not need any help, she adored the kind gesture. It was unspoken but it did not go unappreciated.

They were under a bridge. Graffiti covered the pillars supporting the bridge. Fires made in trashcans lit their way. Old, rustic run-down cars filled the spaces that the tall grass and shrubs were unable to.

"Yeah, this place isn't creepy. Not at all," Simon spoke up once they were all out of the van.

Isabelle chuckled from beside him. "Don't tell me you're afraid."

Simon scoffed, looking over the scenery. "Are you kidding me? I was born afraid... which sounded a lot better in my head."

Margo rolled her eyes, her arm wrapping around Alec's in the dark before he spoke up. "Let's check it out."

Jace left Clary behind as he went to go check with his other experienced Shadowhunters.

When Alec pulled Margo towards Jace and Isabelle, the brunette gave her best friend a small smile. "Hey. If something goes wrong... if something happens to her, that's on us. You know that, don't you?"

Jace nodded up at his parabatai understandingly. "Yeah. And you know exactly what'd happen if Valentine gets the Cup before we do. She's lost everything, Alec. I know exactly what that feels like." His eyes wavered to the girl standing beside his parabatai. "You do too, _Go_ , which is why I don't understand your hostility to this."

"Hey." Alec quickly stepped protectively in front of Margo.

Margo could stand up for herself, though. "She had everything, Jace," she simply said, her voice void of emotion. "We never had anything - nothing that we could remember. She had everything and she let it slip between her fingers. That's not our problem."

Jace stared at Margo a little too long before turning back to Alec. "What's your problem with her, anyway? Your family always used to welcome strays."

The comment was worse than the one he had spoken before. Margo's arm fell from around Alec's as she took a step back, not believing her ears. Had Jace Wayland just said what she thought he said?

Isabelle's hand supportively rubbed her parabatai's back. "You were never a stray," Alec replied calmly, turning back to see Margo. "Neither of you were."

"The point is, nothing's changed. We're in this fight together. There's just... one more of us." With that, he turned back to Clary, motioning for her and Simon to follow them into the unknown.

As Margo walked forward, eyes trained on the ground, she walked right into Alec's chest. She looked up, allowing him to grab her hands. "You're not a stray, baby."

It was amazing how he could just sense when Margo wasn't feeling herself. She appreciated his sixth sense a lot.

Her eyes fluttered to their surroundings before they landed on Alec. She saw Simon and Clary passing by the pair, the former of whom did a double take when he saw the scene in front of him. Nevertheless, they both proceeded on, giving them their privacy.

"But I am," Margo fought, suddenly feeling a heavy burden on her shoulders. "I came here when I had nowhere else to go. I had nothing but a backpack with me. No memory. What do you call that?"

He smiled softly at her, cupping her cheek. "I call that the night when my life changed. You found your way to Institute that first night because you always belonged there, and I think deep down, you knew that. You are not a stray, Margo Rose Devereaux, and you never were." He pressed a kiss to her cheek before wrapping an arm around her shoulder and walking the way their friends had not too long ago.

Upon finding the entrance to the tunnel leading to the Silent Brothers, Clary suddenly stopped, gasping at the skeleton next to the entrance. Margo waited on her patiently, leaning against Alec and feeling his arm pull her closer. Then, Clary regained herself, sighing. "I can do this."

"Yeah, you can. You're Clary freakin' Fray. You can do anything," Simon helped raise her confidence.

As he went to walk into the tunnel, Jace stopped him. "All right, hold up."

"Surprise, surprise. No mundanes allowed, just like in the training room, right? Wrong. I've seen every horror movie ever made and the funny best friend who gets left behind... dead man."

Isabelle laughed from beside Margo, causing the girl to let out a small chuckle herself. "You're not that funny," Jace corrected, "But by all means, go ahead." As Simon began to walk again, Jace spoke up. "Of course, the minute you enter, you'll die."

"Problem is, now I don't trust you."

"He's not lying," Margo offered.

"Now," Izzy added. "He was before."

Alec kept his arm around Margo as the two walked up to Simon. "The rune energy in the City of Bones will kill any mundane who dares to enter. So, please..." He raised the hand of the arm over Margo's shoulder, motioning towards the tunnel.

"The Brothers creep me out. I'll mind the mundane," Izzy spoke up as Clary and Jace looked at each other.

"Your sacrificed is noted, Izzy."

"Talk about sacrifice. I'm missing a financial analysis class," Simon mumbled a she walked up to Isabelle.

Alec once again used the hand of the arm wrapped around Margo to gesture towards the mundane. "I can't be here anymore, so, Jace, we're going to mind the perimeter."

And with that, he led Margo away to do just that.

Once Jace and Clary had disappeared inside the tunnels and Isabelle and Simon were far away, Margo turned to Alec. "You know what I could use right now?"

"A nap?" Alec guessed.

"A nap," Margo confirmed. He knew her too well. "When we get home, I am totally taking a couple hours to myself, just sleeping in my nice, comfy, big bed. But, you know, that big bed is kind of spacious and it's lonely sleeping alone..."

Alec rolled his eyes, understanding exactly where this was going. "I'll be there," he promised. She nodded, grinning. Margo never admitted it to him, but she always slept better when he was by her side.

The two made their way around the perimeter a few times before choosing to stay beside Isabelle and Simon.

After moments of silence, Alec could be found leaning against the open gate of the tunnel, arms crossed. Izzy was staring at the mundane, playing with her hair. And Margo was sat on the floor, by Alec's right leg, resting her head against it, eyes shut.

"So, is cracking someone's mind open supposed to take this long? Maybe we, or... you should go check?" Simon spoke up, motioning towards Alec.

Alec rolled his eyes. "Jace has it covered."

Margo yelped as she saw a multi-legged creature crawl by her, catching Alec's attention. He took her hands, helping the brunette up before booping her nose. "You can handle demons, vampires, werewolves... but one centipede and you go running for the hills," he teased, ruffling her hair.

Isabelle chuckled from a few feet away. "Take my word for it. The Silent Brothers are quite unpleasant."

"That's not helping. Not at all. What if Clary can't handle the Brothers?" he stammered. "What does that-"

Alec cut him off, looking at Margo as she stared at him lovingly. "It literally never stops talking." The brunette softly laughed.

Simon scoffed from where he stood by the fire, warming up. He turned to Margo. "Is your boyfriend always so charming?"

She smiled, raising a hand to fix a stray hair on Alec's head. His hand caught hers when she lowered it, placing a kiss on the back of it. "Always," she answered Simon whilst staring at Alec.

It was true. Around her, Alexander Lightwood was always charming.

"Firstborn," Isabelle substituted Margo's answer. "Heavy is the head that wears the crown."

Simon hummed, answering her. His words flew right out of Margo's head when she noticed Alec's other hand wandering her side, landing on the flesh just below her shirt, by her waist. He traced shapes on her bare skin, watching as her eyes fluttered closed. Her hands landed on Alec's shoulders, which held her up as she felt his fingers inching up her skin.

She felt his movement stop just before he spoke up. Her eyes opened, glancing behind her at Isabelle and Simon, who were about to walk back to the van.

"Where is it going?" Alec asked, annoyed that the mundane had ruined the moment.

Isabelle smirked. "We'll be right back."

"Izzy..."

"What? He passes the time," she responded to her best friend.

Simon tensed. "I can hear you guys, you know?" Isabelle rolled her eyes, leading him back from where they came.

Margo turned back to Alec, smirking. "So, we're all alone now."

He smirked right back. "Well, would you look at that? We are." And his hand resumed its slow torture, creating a fire that burned deep inside Margo. She couldn't get enough of him.

His hand roamed her body, leaving electricity wherever his fingertips touched.

Her breathing hitched as Alec's fingers wrapped around the belt loops on her jeans and pulled them, inevitably pulling Margo closer. She wrapped her arms around his neck, fingers tugging softly at the hair on the nape of his neck.

His head leaned on her shoulder, his breath hitting her exposed collarbone, making the brunette shiver. His lips found the crook of her neck, placing soft kisses up and down, leaving Margo an unraveled mess. She gasped, feeling a moan find its way up her throat and out of her mouth. Momentarily, Alec stopped kissing her neck when he heard her moan. He leaned back, smirking at her. He loved the effect he had on the smaller Shadowhunter.

Margo realized something. Just as Izzy had said about Simon, Alec also passed the time. But it was more than that. He didn't just pass the time. He made time stop. His kisses and his touches made Margo feel like they had forever to themselves. She felt like they could do anything they wanted, in any amount of time. They had their own little forever.

Before he had the chance to resume his precious butterfly kisses on her neck, the leaves inside the tunnel crackled and snapped.

Alec's hands slipped out from under Margo's shirt, turning towards Jace and Clary as they walked out of the tunnel. "What happened? What did you find out?"

When Clary didn't say anything, Jace spoke up. "Valentine is Clary's father."

Oh lord.

However surprised Margo was, Alec was surely going to be worse. He was going to lose his cool, very soon.

"Wait a minute. You're telling me this girl shows up out of nowhere and she's Valentine's daughter?" There was no trace of his playful demeanor from a few minutes ago. "Did it occur to you that she might be a spy? This might be part of her plan?"

"Alec, that's enough." To everyone's surprise, it wasn't Jace who said those words, it was Margo. Though she wasn't always on Alec's side, she never spoke to him like that. The oldest Lightwood sibling turned to her, eyes wide in confusion and disbelief. "That first night, when I arrived at the Institute, I showed up out of nowhere. I had no memories. You didn't think I was a spy, did you?"

He couldn't reply to that.

The truth was, of course he didn't. She was Margo. His Margo. She couldn't be a spy.

Alec didn't exactly see eye-to-eye with Clary though.

Before he could even take a step near Margo, Clary spoke up. "Do you think I planned for my mom to get kidnapped? Or for Dot to be taken? Or to have a giant sword dangle over my head and find out that my father is one of the most dangerous people in the world? Really?"

Her breathing began to tremble when she looked around, seeing Isabelle walking up to the four without the mundane. "Where's Simon? Where's Simon?"

"I told him to stay in the van. I've searched everywhere," Izzy sighed.

Clary nearly freaked then. "You were supposed to protect him!" she yelled at Isabelle. "Simon!" She ran off to where the van was.

Margo groaned. "These mundanes are killing me," she commented before her and the other Shadowhunters followed Clary to the van. Clary was panting when she reached the open van door. In the seat, Simon's earbuds and headphones rested. "No. Simon!"

"Is that the mundane's name?" A new voice broke out among the gang. They all looked up, to see two vampires standing on a supporting beam of the bridge. One held Simon upside down, threatening to fall. "I'm afraid Simon's coming with us."

Clary yelled from directly behind Margo, piercing the girl's eardrums. Margo winced, holding her ear as Clary screamed. "No! No, he's not a part of this!"

"And it'll be my pleasure to kill you unless you return him," Jace threatened.

Alec chose the most inopportune moment to remind everyone, "Careful. We'd be violating the Accords."

"Alec!" Margo shouted, softly nudging him, reminding him of just how unnecessary the comment was at a time like this.

The vampire eyed Margo. "I'm afraid your boyfriend's quite right, sugar. The Night Children have broken no laws. We're negotiating. The mundane, unharmed, in exchange for the Mortal Cup." Simon gasped as the other vampire holding him lost her grip on his leg for a second. "And the clock is ticking. Tick-tock, people."

"Clary!" Simon yelled before the vampire duo and Simon disappeared.

"Simon... No!" Her breathing became heavy as she continued to yell his name, as if it would help. Her shouts went unanswered and unheard.


	7. Chapter 6: Suffering

**CHAPTER 6: SUFFERING**  
 **[S1E3Dead Man's Party (Part I)]**

* * *

The five Shadowhunters entered the gates of the Institute, all thoughts on the mundane they had left behind.

"I still don't understand. How can Shadowhunters be better than what you people call mundanes?" Clary spoke up, stopping at the foyer and eyeing the others.

Isabelle was the one to answer. "Because we protect humans."

Clary sighed, clearly still very stressed out. Margo groaned inwardly, already expecting the next words that fell out of Clary's lips. "You're right. Humans. You protect humans. You left Simon all alone in the van. Great job, guys. You rock."

Alec spoke up from beside Margo, a bit uninterested. "There is some truth to the idea that human beings should have a modicum of common sense."

Clary scoffed at his comment. Before Isabelle could scold him, Margo spoke up, looking at the older Lightwood. "Alec, maybe now isn't the greatest time." She softened the blow, completely sure that whatever Isabelle was going to say was not going to be as nice as Margo.

"Look, they won't do anything to Simon. They just wanted to draw you out. They want the Cup, and they think you have it," Jace explained.

"But why do they think that? Why does anyone think that? What, my mom lies to me my entire life except, _'Oh, by the way, there's a magic cup I hid on, like, the planet Bongo, but don't tell anyone.'_  
style="font-size: 20pt;""

Margo scowled, rolling her eyes. She understood that Clary was frustrated but she was just overhyping all her emotions now. "Clary, that's enough," she warned.

The younger redhead sighed. "What am I supposed to do now?"

Alec offered a solution, walking ahead of everyone into HQ. "We have to report to the Clave. They have to know what we've learned about Valentine."

Clary stopped him, grabbing his forearm. He eyed her hand on his arm before staring at her. She withdrew her arm slowly, resting it by her side. She couldn't understand why Alec was so comfortable when Margo touched him but so tense and awkward when Clary did so. "What, that he's my father? Great. Fine. Tell them. What good does that do to Simon?"

Margo rolled her eyes. Clearly, the redhead wasn't as smart as she looked. "Clary, it's all connected. Those blood-sucking freaks want the Cup."

"Why? It makes new Shadowhunters."

Alec followed Margo in the rolling of eyes towards the Fray girl. "Nobody wants Valentine forming an army loyal to himself."

"Plus, it controls demons," Izzy added.

"They'll pose a trade. Simon for the Cup," Jace finished.

Clary groaned. "So, the vampires will trade Simon for the Cup and Valentine will trade my mother for the Cup. Either way, I lose someone I love. What if I just toss it up in the air and let them fight it out among themselves?"

"So, this doesn't matter to you?" Alec asked skeptically.

She snapped, "Yes, of course it matters! Listen, when you saved my life... I put my trust in you. Now, I need you to put your trust in me. I can't turn into what you are overnight." She looked between the Shadowhunters.

"It's true," Izzy added, "She was raised as a mundane."

Alec propped up. "What are you, her spokesman now?"

"I don't need a spokesman. I need a plan." And with that, Clary Fray walked off, trying to rake through her mind for a strategy to save her best friend.

The others followed behind, reluctantly, as Clary made her way through HQ. "Look at all this stuff, these screens. I mean, can any of this help me find Simon? Where is he, anyway? Some kind of crypt in Transylvania?"

"Actually, no," Jace answered. "That was Camille's outfit, right?" He asked his parabatai, who nodded. "They're locals."

They all surrounded a large table, looking across at one-another. "They're at the Hotel DuMort, down in Gansevoort Street."

Margo couldn't help it. She turned to Alec, nudging his side softly. "Aw, man, I hear that place really _sucks_." Alec smiled a little, ruffling her hair before turning back to the others.

Clary completely ignored Margo. "We came back here? Why? We have to go there. Let's go, now. Come on."

As she started walking, Alec spoke up, cutting her short. "We need a Clave resolution for that. The five of us can't declare war on the vamps all by ourselves. And we can't react without considering our options. Downworlders are slaves to their impulses. We're not."

Isabelle held a glint in her eyes as she spoke. "Alec, you can't just jump on all the Downworlders."

Margo, Alec, and Jace all shared a knowing smirk. "Oh, that's right," Alec started, "Seelies have their charms, apparently."

"Right?" Jace joked.

"Would you mind recalling that event for me, Isabelle? I seem to have forgotten," Margo teased her parabatai.

"Seelies?" Clary asked from behind them, frowning when she realized the four were in on a joke that she didn't understand.

Jace answered her. "Like faeries. The Fair Folk. Add pixies, nixies, elves... anybody half-angel, half-demon. It's pretty much a catch-all term."

Alec snickered. "Izzy can tell you all about them. She's got a _thing_."

His sister's smirk matched his own as she eyed Margo and stated, "We've all got our _things_ , don't we?" Alec's smile disappeared slowly as he glanced at the girl beside him.

She was oblivious to what had just happened between the Lightwood siblings. She was a bit busy staring at Clary as she attempted to make a dramatic exit. "Okay, I can't listen to this. Simon's been kidnapped by vampires. I guess I'll just take care of it myself."

She walked off, ignoring Jace's pleas to stop. "Clary, you're gonna get yourself killed. Clary."

"Simon, too," Margo added, not bothering to look behind her. She could sense that the redhead had stopped and was now making her way back to the circle. Margo smirked, feeling accomplished.

Clary leaned her hands on the table, looking up desperately. "Then help me. While we consider other options, my best friend is suffering. Is that something Shadowhunters understand or am I just being a mundane?"

"Are you _fucking_ serious?" Clary's eyes widened as she looked next to her to see Margo. She hadn't yet comprehended that the Shadowhunter had just dropped the f-bomb.

Alec, however, did notice and he tried to grab hold of her arm. " _Go_ -"

She slid her hand out of his grasp. "No, Alec. I've had enough." She turned to Clary. "What, you think you've got it bad? Look around, Clary. Every single one of us has it worse than you. We've had it worse than you for years. So, don't you dare play the victim. We all understand suffering more than you ever will. So, yes, in that sense, you are being a typical, ungrateful mundane."

No one spoke for a while. Alec, Isabelle and Jace all stared at each other as Margo's glare bored into Clary's eyes. "Sorry," Clary whispered.

Margo couldn't believe her ears. "What?"

"Sorry," Clary repeated. "I shouldn't have said that. I don't know you guys and I was just stressed and-I'm sorry. Really."

Margo nodded her head firmly, pursing her lips as the two faced the others. Jace did a once-over on his brunette friend before placing his hand on a large book in the center of the table. "Clary's right. They made the first move. We're going to take care of this ourselves, right now."

"This is a bad idea. I-"

Jace was the one who cut Alec off. "The vamps broke the Accords. They kidnapped a mundie. That's a big _no-no_. The Clave will give us a lecture and then they'll be glad we did it. Come on."

Margo found it hard to argue with that. Apparently so did Alec. "Even if we went ahead, I don't see how we get out of here without having to explain where we're going. We need weapons, and we can't let anyone see us get them."

Margo's thoughts were suddenly full of ideas. Or, well, one idea. But it was a good one. She looked up, making eye-contact with Jace, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. They both smiled knowingly as the brunette spoke up. "I know where to get what we need."

A half-hour later, the five Shadowhunters were exiting Simon's van, about to make their way through a cemetery. "Whose grave is it?" Alec asked.

Margo looked over at Izzy, who glanced down at her phone, where all the information was held. "Mary Milligan, born January 10th, 1802. Died, January 10th, 1878.

"Wow, on her birthday? That sucks," Margo commented.

"All right, Alec, let's go."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, buddy," Margo intervened, grabbing hold of Alec's hand. "I want Alec."

Jace rolled his eyes. "You have Izzy," he pointed out.

"I want them both."

"You can't have them both."

Margo frowned. "Why not?"

Before Jace could reply, Clary broke it up. "Wait, what are we looking for?"

"Cache of weapons," Isabelle answered as they all searched the tombstones. "Stashed here with Mrs. Milligan."

Clary didn't seem to understand. "Why are there Shadowhunter weapons in a churchyard?"

"Because all the ancient religions recognized demons. Or, at least they used to," Margo spoke up, shivering and wishing she had worn a jacket.

Alec noticed, quickly running back to the van to grab a hoodie of Simon's he had seen and handed it to Margo. The girl looked up gratefully as he continued her story. "They forgot about the threat because we've been here to protect them. Typical mundane failure of imagination."

Izzy stopped, laughing. "Are you saying we did too good of a job?" _Uh oh_ , Margo thought, recognizing her best friend's behavior. "You just can't let up, can you?"

Before Margo could intrude, Jace turned back. "You know what? Alec, why don't you and Margo go check out by the angel?" Alec frowned, letting Margo lead him far away from his destructive sister.

The two circled around the statue, vaguely hearing Isabelle's phone ring before she made an exit.

"Jace, over here," Alec urged. Jace walked over, without Clary. " _Go_ , can you-" The girl nodded her head, already out of their hair. She made her way over to Clary, helping the redhead search for the grave.

When they found the grave a few minuted later, Margo yelled out to the Lightwood boy. "Alec! We found it. Mary Milligan."

The two made their way over, watching as Clary cleared the dirt from the words written on the tombstone. " _Beloved servant_? Who wants that on a headstone?" Clary asked rhetorically.

"Someone who is in service to a cause greater than themselves," Alec answered, helping Jace get rid of the leaves on top of the grave.

Margo muttered, "At least she is now."

"Abracadabra," Jace muttered.

Clary shook her head. "Wait, you people actually say that?"

Margo looked up, sharing a smile with Alec. "No, Clary, we don't," she replied to the easy target. Jace used his stele to go over the rune on Mary Milligan's grave before moving the top out of the way with Alec's help.

Once they opened the small hatch that led to the weapons cache, Clary immediately picked up a seraph blade. "Whoa! Where's Mrs. Milligan?"

"Don't touch that. You don't know how to use it," Alec warned, stepping closer to Clary.

She wasn't buying into his whole tough guy act, though. "What, like at Pandemonium when I killed that demon?"

"You didn't kill-"

"Alec," Margo interrupted, "Lay off. Jace will teach her how to use it."

Speaking of Jace... the blonde spoke up. "Do you see what you guys need in here?"

Alec eyed the cache, sighing. "No. There's no bow here. I need one. I have to rune some arrows. That's back at the Institute. I gotta go."

"I'll come help. It'll take less time with two of us," Margo offered, grabbing hold of Alec's hand.

"you just wanna make out," Alec playfully teased.

Jace stammered a bit. "Well, how are you two going to get back in the Institute?"

"Go in the back. Won't bother Margo and I."

"Okay, good. Go. I can finish up here."

Margo could feel the tension and hostility between the two best friends. Alec pulled her away before stopping suddenly and turning back, walking up to Jace and temporarily dropping Margo's hand.

"Hey..." Jace turned around, making eye-contact with Alec. "I understand what we need to do. And I trust you, parabatai... but don't ever doubt me. No matter what I said."

Margo's heart sped up and a goofy smile grew on her face when she heard Alec say that. It wasn't often that Alec and Jace had moments like these, but when they did, it was worth being around and watching.

Jace held his hand up. "It's already forgotten." Alec's hand found Jace's in a handshake. "I'll see you at dawn."

"At dawn," Alec agreed before taking Margo's hand and pulling her away to the Institute.


	8. Chapter 7: Fun

**CHAPTER 7: FUN**

 **[S1E3Dead Man's Party (Part II)]**

* * *

The two Shadowhunters made it back to the Institute in record time, sneaking in through the back. After Alec gathered his bow and arrow, Margo helped him rune the arrows.

They were almost finished when Margo heard footsteps near the pair. She tossed a worried look Alec's way before thinking quickly on her feet. She made her way to the table where the arrows lied, pushing them back before hopping up herself. "Alec."

She motioned for him to come forward. When he was within arm's length, she grabbed hold of his t-shirt, pulling him between her legs. His hands immediately rested to either side of her, trapping her as he leaned down. Margo's lips found Alec's neck, leaving  
trails of kisses along his skin, hoping to distract the intruder.

"Alec. Margo."

Hodge's voice caused the pair to spring apart in mock surprise. Alec turned around to face him, stepping to Margo's side and leaning against the table by her thighs. "Didn't know you two were here."

As Alec started stammering, trying to come up with an explanation, Margo cut him off, taking the lead. She grabbed Alec's hand, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Hodge. "We were just looking for some privacy. You know, with the whole Clary thing  
going on, there isn't much time to spend alone."

Hodge cleared his throat. "I was always rooting for you two," he smiled softly. "Ah, Clary, yes. That girl is Valentine's..." The rune on his neck put there by the Clave seared, causing Margo to tighten her grip on Alec's hand. Hodge groaned, taking a  
big exhale before starting again. He held onto his neck with one hand while the other held his cup of coffee. "... The monster's daughter. There must be some reason why the roaches are coming out of the woodwork again, right?"

Margo nodded slowly, letting him continue. Her arm repositioned itself so it was resting on top of Alec's shoulder. "I'll leave you two to it, then." He raised his cup to them before retreating.

"Hodge," Alec called out before Margo could stop him. He turned back to face the Lightwood. "Thank you."

Hodge smiled, nearing Alec and Margo once again, patting the boy on his other shoulder. "You remind me of me, Alec - a loyal friend standing in the shadow of the chosen one." Margo scoffed lightly, crossing her arms as she watched the two. "Hey... Don't  
make the same mistakes I did. Look where it got me." He walked away quickly after that.

Margo spared no time in jumping off the table and standing in front of Alec, who still leaned against it. "Hey." She took his face in her hands. "You're not _standing in the shadow_

style="font-size: 20pt;"of anyone. You know that, right?"

He nodded his head, though his eyes never met Margo's. She frowned, leaning down to meet his eyes. "Listen to me, Alec. Seriously, you are not in anyone's shadow. Besides, if you were, don't you think I'd be into Jace and not you?"

His smile grew as he pulled the girl into a hug. Upon pulling away, Alec fixed a stray hair on Margo's head, causing the girl to blush. His hand moved to her cheek, cupping it lightly as he eyed her lips. Margo's green eyes found their way to Alec's full  
lips, feeling the need to kiss them. She closed her eyes, her hands gripping onto his t-shirt, as he pulled her closer.

She could feel his breath hitting her face and just as they leaned in, and Alec's lips ghosted over Margo's, his phone rang. The two jumped apart, clearly not expecting the distraction. He glanced at Margo before glancing at his phone screen to see a  
text from Isabelle. After reading the unnecessarily long text, he turned to the brunette in front of him.

"Izzy found a way in. Come on."

They made their way to the address Isabelle had texted, all without mentioning the almost kiss. They walked up the stairs of an abandoned building quietly, until they reached the young Lightwood, who was wearing a very persuasive red dress.

"Izzy. Where are we exactly?" Alec asked as the two walked up to Isabelle.

She looked between them, clearly acknowledging the strained aura around the two. "It's an old meatpacker's service entrance. If we go back there, we come up into the basement of the Hotel DuMort. Perfect, right? We distract the vamps, Clary and Jace have  
time to find Simon."

She was awfully proud of herself, Margo noticed. She smiled a little at her best friend. She did good.

"Okay," Alec stated, following his sister.

She stopped short, turning back around to her brother. " _Okay_? It was hard word interrogating Meliorn to get this intel."

Margo substituted Alec's response, squeezing her best friend's shoulder gratefully. "Great job, Izzy."

Her parabatai smiled, thanking her best friend.

"You have faerie dust on your dress," Alec observed, walking ahead of the girls as his sister rubbed off the residue. "And I hate being the distraction."

Isabelle turned to Margo, hoping for an explanation but the girl just shrugged. She turned back to her brother. "I don't. You know, you'd be a lot happier if the two of you weren't so freaking repressed." Alec ignored her, as did Margo as followed ahead  
of Izzy. "Alec? Margo? Hello?"

The two looked at each other, both rolling their eyes, before walking ahead. After a few minutes of silence, Isabelle spoke up again. "You two are really not going to talk to me, are you?"

"That's because you have no idea what you're talking about," Alec hissed.

"But I do," she challenged. "You're hiding from yourself, not me." She turned to Margo. "You too. You guys have feelings, whether you like 'em or not," she reminded.

Alec found a ladder leading up to the ground floor, and helped Margo up first. "This is not the time or the place, Izzy."

The younger Lightwood shrugged. "I don't know. Looks pretty smooth so far."

"This must be the way," Margo stated as the three went up the ladder and into a hallway.

Isabelle opened a door, not realizing what was at the end of it. There stood a group of vampires, all hissing when they saw the three Shadowhunters.

Margo and Isabelle helped Alec shut the door and keep it closed as he tried to rune it. "Well, not so smooth," Izzy admitted, waiting for her brother. "Any day now."

He growled, "Yeah, if you hold the door still, it might be a lot easier. It's not taking it." Margo nudged Isabelle, pointing to a pipe on the ceiling. Isabelle used her seraph blade to cut it off and slide it through the door handle and another pipe,  
shutting it temporarily.

She smirked at Alec and Margo. "Whoever said, ' _The pen is mightier than the sword_ ,' was an idiot."

Alec shrugged, waiting for Margo to walk in front of him. "When you're right, you're right," he confessed, shrugging as he followed behind the two girls.

They stood a few yards away, watching as the many vampire hands clawed at the door. Their shrieks filled the halls. "Do you think they know where we are?" Izzy asked.

"That's the idea, right? How long do you think we have to distract them for?"

Margo took a gander. "Ten more minutes?" she guessed.

He eyed the girl. "Ten minutes? Are you kidding?" He reached behind him, grabbing an arrow to prepare. "We're liquid lunch in five."

"So, let's distract them."

Alec looked down at Margo as he pulled an arrow back in his bow, getting ready. "So, let's distract them," he agreed.

The incessant growling grew louder. "You better get ready," Izzy advised, allowing her snake bracelet to turn into an electric whip.

Margo held her seraph tightly as the vampires broke through. She handled the ones that got past Izzy's whip and Alec's arrows. The vampires hissed and shrieked as they were attacked by the Shadowhunters.

Margo quickly glanced between the Lightwood siblings. "This is fun," she heard Alec say.

"Great anger management," Margo agreed.

Izzy chuckled. "Keep coming, boys."

And they did.

And the three kept fighting them off.

They reached the real action in no time. Clary and Jace were trying to fight off vampires. The former was currently in the death grip of one. Alec noticed and pulled back an arrow. The vampire used Clary as a shield and the Shadowhunter smirked. "Okay,"  
he simply said, aiming his arrow for the wall instead, where sunlight started to pour through. The vampire was left to burn to ashes, leaving Clary to pick up her blade and join the others in fighting off the Downworlders.

As she sliced through the last vampire, her seraph fell out of her hand, clinking onto the ground. This caught the attention of her friends, who looked at her questioningly. "I killed him," she whispered to herself, eyeing the spot the vampire had just  
vanished from.

Margo rolled her eyes. "He was already dead."

"Plus, he wanted to kill you. Remember that," Isabelle reminded. "She did great, right?" She asked Jace.

The blonde nodded, looking at Clary. "Yeah, you did. You should be proud."

She smiled softly. "Thanks, but... it's not about me. Let's go find Simon."

The five Shadowhunters made their way around the Hotel DuMort until they reached Simon, who was currently being held by the same vampire they had acquainted under the bridge. "Simon!" Clary yelped, seeing the vampire hold a dagger to her best friend's  
throat. Alec grabbed an arrow, pulling back his bow, ready to attack.

Jace pulled Clary back as she tried nearing Simon. "That's not going to do any good, Clary."

The vampire spoke up. "Listen to him, Clary Fairchild. Put it away. I've had more than enough of your friend for one day. I'd love to cut his throat. Don't give me a reason." He saw Margo tightening her grip on her blade and immediately yelled, "Put it  
away, sweetheart!" to her.

She clenched her teeth, eyeing Simon before glancing back at Alec, who subtly nodded at her. Her grip on the blade loosened. The other Shadowhunters followed suit, putting away their blades.

"Simon. Simon, are you all right?" Clary asked.

He shuffled. "I wouldn't say all right..."

The vampire holding him neared the blade to his throat. "Stop talking! Now, if you would all just follow me. Let's go! Come on, let's go!" They all reluctantly followed, Alec leading the group up. "Up here, now! That's right, get down there now or I'll  
kill him." They followed his directions, going up the stairs.

The vampire and Clary exchanged words that were unheard by Margo as she observed Alec, who grabbed her hand in his. "Open that door right now or I'll kill him right here," he ordered Alec. He opened the door of an exit, letting light seep in, ignoring  
Clary's attempts at trying to get Simon back.

"Go," the vampire urged, "Take him! Go!" He was suddenly pushing Simon away, towards the Shadowhunters.

Simon turned back, eyeing the vampire. "I don't know how to thank you," he stuttered.

"Don't thank me. You mean nothing. This is about Valentine and the chaos he can bring." Jace ushered Simon out the door, about to help Margo out until the vampire called him back. "Jace Wayland!" he panted. He eyed Margo before glancing back at the blonde.  
"Remember who your friends are."

Jace turned back until the vampire called out again. "Sweetheart." Margo's head turned back, seeing the vampire give her a small smile. "Be careful." She found it oddly comforting that a stranger was looking out for her. Maybe not all Downworlders were  
bad.

"What's your name?" she asked the vampire.

"Raphael."

"I'm Margo," she introduced before Jace quickly guided her out the door.

They joined the others on the rooftop, Margo's feet immediately leading her to Alec. His hand came up, his fingers running over the cut just above Margo's cheek. She slightly winced, letting him lean down to kiss it softly. She smiled when he pulled back  
before her eyes landed on Simon as he spoke up.

"Shouldn't we get the hell out of here?"

"Why, Simon?" Jace challenged.

His eyes widened. "They're right downstairs."

"Let them come after us. They'll just turn into a bunch of fried eggs out here. I thought you said you watched movies," Jace snapped before following Izzy up another set of stairs connected to the rooftop.

Margo looked up at Alec, who stood in front of her, and saw him eyeing his parabatai. She took his hand, squeezing tightly before bringing it up and kissing the back of it, causing a grin to break out on Alec's face. They followed Jace and Isabelle above  
the small set of stairs before turning back and overlooking Clary's hug with her best friend.

Alec pulled Margo under his arm, pressing a kiss to her head as she wrapped an arm around him. He turned to Izzy when she spoke up. She held her phone in her hand, using it as a mirror as she reapplied her red lipstick. "Well, no accounting for taste."

Her older brother scoffed. "Yeah, you should talk."

Margo stepped away from Alec and towards her parabatai as he turned to face his own. "Look, can I just say one thing?"

Jace's lips tightened to form a line. "You will, whatever I say, so shoot."

"You think you know Clary, right? But you may not. Think about who her father is."

Margo glanced Isabelle's direction, feeling her parabatai grab her hand as they watched their best friends verbally knock each other out. "You know what, Alec? Do not start this again with me."

"She just came out of nowhere, Jace."

"She has no one," Jace retorted.

Alec wouldn't give up. "Just listen to me for one second-"

"Alec, stop!" Jace roared, shutting down any conversation Margo and Isabelle or Clary and Simon were having.

The four turned to face Jace and Alec, eyes wide in shock. None of them had ever heard Jace yell like this. "Just stop," he reiterated, much more calmly.

"I'm older than you, Jace. I'm not in your shadow," Alec retorted.

Margo's thoughts immediately went back to the conversation they had with Hodge. She tried to console Alec, to tell him he wasn't in anyone's shadow, and it looked like now, he was trying to deny it too. She didn't think he believed himself much, seeing  
as he choked up a little when he said it.

Before Alec could turn away from Jace, the blonde asked him one last question. "If you really feel that way about her, why did you help us tonight?"

And to that, Alec had no answer... at least, not one Jace would ever understand. So, he turned away, following after Margo and Izzy, who held hands and made their way down to the busy streets of New York City.


	9. Chapter 8: Ready to Rave

**CHAPTER 8: READY TO RAVE**  
 **[S1E4 Raising Hell (Part I)]**

* * *

The five Shadowhunters gathered around a large table at the center of HQ as Hodge stood in front of them, pulling up any and all information on Magnus Bane on the big screen.

Margo leaned against a support pillar whilst Alec and Jace both took seats and Izzy and Clary leaned against the table.

"Magnus Bane," Hodge started, running through some pictures of him. "He's over 300 years old. And, as you can see, he's not exactly shielding away from the pleasures of every century. His tastes are both exquisite and quite excessive."

Clary snorted, crossing her arms. "He looks like the Downworld's David Guetta."

Isabelle smirked, catching Margo's eye before turning to her new redhead friend. "Guetta's already a Downworlder."

"Vampire," Margo cleared up, causing Clary to turn and face her.

"Ever seen him in the daylight?" Izzy rhetorically asked.

Alec rolled his eyes at the girls. "Can you three focus? This is not a joke."

Isabelle's brows furrowed, as did Margo's, when the two glanced down at the older Lightwood. "Someone needs to get slayed," Izzy muttered playfully, winking at Margo.

Her parabatai beamed, pulling Alec's rolling chair out and plopping herself down on his lap. "She's right, you know? You look tense, Alexander."

His arms naturally found their way around her waist as she shuffled, finally finding a comfortable position. She glanced back at Alec, appreciating the pieces of hair by his forehead, framing his face. And, indeed, it was a nice face.

"Alec's right," Hodge informed. "Now, Magnus is one of the most powerful warlocks I've ever known. He has a deep mistrust of Shadowhunters."

Clary groaned. "Well, then why did he help my mom remove my memories? Isn't she a Shadowhunter?"

"Yes, one of the best. But help might not be the most accurate word. Now, did Magnus provide a service for Jocelyn? Perhaps. But more than likely, your mother paid Magnus handsomely for his magic. Warlocks usually require payment before they help anyone with anything."

Alec's index finger traced circles on Margo's thigh as he spoke up from behind her. "Word from the Clave is that most of the warlocks have gone into hiding since Valentine began hunting them."

Hodge hummed. "Valentine must be searching for the warlock. Where did Jocelyn-" He cut himself off, hissing as his rune burned.

Margo's heart raced. "Hodge, your rune. You okay?"

He nodded a bit.

"So, how do we find Magnus?" Clary asked.

Jace took over, leaning back in his seat and staring at the picture of Magnus on the screen. "We don't. Magnus finds us. We'll set up a meeting, somewhere protected. Lure him out of hiding."

"And I know exactly where we do it," Isabelle smiled smugly, taking the tablet away from Hodge and pressing a few buttons. A picture of a flyer for a rave showed up on the large screen. Hodge chuckled, shaking his head.

Margo's jaw dropped. "A Downward rave - I am _so_ in!" she squealed, clapping her hands eagerly. "Parabatai, you did good," Margo complimented excitedly, catching Izzy's eye.

"And where'd you get that?" Alec apprehensively asked.

Izzy shrugged. "During my surveillance of the Downworlders. From what I hear, Magnus likes to party."

"So, I know you said he doesn't like Shadowhunters but Magnus Bane and I are going to get along _just fine_ ," Margo concluded, drawing parallels between her and the warlock.

The other Shadowhunters paused for a moment, thinking through this plan. Alec objected, as usual. "He'll never go for it. Not with Valentine trying to kill him."

"Of course he will," Jace saved the rave idea. "He'll blend in. Hide in plain sight."

Clary, however, seemed to be on Alec's side for this one. "I don't know, it seems-"

"Trust me," Isabelle cut off. "If Magnus is coming out of hiding, he's going to one of the biggest parties of the year."

"And so are we!" Margo still loved this idea very much.

Hodge smiled between the two best friends. "Never underestimate Magnus' hedonism. Or his greed," he warned the gang. "Come with me," he directed. Margo stood up from Alec's lap, holding a hand out to him before he took it and followed her.

Hodge led the Shadowhunters to a secluded corner with a rune on the floor. He traced over it with his stele before moving the tile and holding up the necklace beneath it. It was absolutely gorgeous, everyone could tell.

"Is that real?" Izzy whispered, never taking her eyes off the jewel.

Hodge nodded. "A four-karat, unheated Burmese ruby. And this necklace has special meaning to Magnus Bane as it was a gift from him to his then-lover, Camille Belcourt."

"Camille and Magnus were lovers?" Clary asked.

"Warlock gets around," Jace commented, sharing a playful look with the redhead.

Hodge continued, seeing the looks Margo, Isabelle and Clary all gave the ruby. "Magnus bought it in 1857 for the price of his London townhouse. Now, the jewel is enchanted by a spell that alerts the wearer to the presence of demons."

Isabelle held a hand out, outlining the ruby with her manicured nails. "It's so beautiful." She was in a trance, just as the other two girls were.

"Magnus has longed to reunite with this necklace. Offer it to him. He might just take the bait."

Jace nodded. "I'll send Magnus a fire message to arrange the meeting. We have to get to him before Valentine does." He walked away, leaving the others to themselves.

Isabelle grabbed hold of Margo and Clary, the former of whom had a hard time letting go of Alec's hand.

Her parabatai had eventually gotten her out of Alec's hold and into her room. Margo grabbed a chunk of hangers, all holding her party dresses, and made her way to Isabelle's room, where she was holding a pink dress out for Clary.

"Is that what you're wearing to the Downworlder party tonight?" Margo asked the redhead.

Isabelle raised an eyebrow at her best friend. "What's wrong with this?"

"It's very _you_ , Izzy. It's not Clary." Margo's hands rummaged through her hangers until she landed on a sleeveless tight leather black dress. "Here. Try this on."

Clary took the dress from her friend's grip. "You realize, one of these days you two are going to have to tell me where and when."

"Where and when?" Margo asked.

"Where you guys get your spending money and when are you letting me go to a store?" The brunette and her parabatai chuckled.

Clary made her way behind the privacy screen, changing into the dress Margo had handed her. "This is kind of tight," she huffed from behind the screen.

"It's supposed to be," Margo blatantly told her. "Just put it on, Clary."

"Ugh, fine," the redhead puffed, revealing herself after changing. "I don't know, Margo, I think I'm more of a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl."

Upon staring at her friend in the dress, Margo did a double take. "Trust me, Clary, you definitely should be a dress kind of girl because you look hot!"

Isabelle sighed, taking a seat at the edge of her bed. "You're so lucky to have a flat chest," she told Clary, "I can never wear that without a bra." She then turned to Margo. "And you've basically got the best pair of boobs I've ever seen, _Go_. They're like the perfect size. Alec's a lucky guy."

Margo felt the heat rush to her cheeks. She closed her eyes, sighing as a smile found its way onto her face. "Shut up," she weakly retorted.

"Someone's looking badass," Jace spoke as he knocked on Isabelle's door before entering.

"She cleans up well," Isabelle commented, eyeing Margo, who was rummaging through her dresses for one that would be fitting for tonight. "Come on, _Go_ , we can get ready in your room. Then, I'll go see Alec. He never knows what to wear to these parties either."

The two exited Isabelle's room, each holding a stack of Margo's dresses as they entered her room. After some thought, Margo held two final dresses up for Isabelle to choose. She chose the one on Margo's right, the one her parabatai was hoping she would choose.

It was a color-block spaghetti strap dress, adorned in black and a faded orange color. She matched the dress with a pair of black gladiator sandals.

Her parabatai had gone for a very different look. She wore a white sequined dress with a stylish headpiece and white pumps.

When the two exited Margo's room a half hour later, they were all glammed out and ready to party.

As promised, Isabelle went to see Alec afterwards, leaving Margo to wander the halls, eyeing Clary and Jace as she passed her parabatai's room. Her legs found their way downstairs and into the kitchen where a tub of cookie dough ice cream just happened to be resting in the freezer.

It had a small note on it.

Margo _, for you._  
 _\- H._

Hodge always knew of Margo's crazed obsession with cookie dough ice cream. It was the first thing she had asked for once she'd settled into the Institute at the age of thirteen. It was what she asked for every week after that. It was the only constant.

As she took a seat at the island, spooning out some ice cream and shoving it into her mouth greedily, her mind explored its many crevices - specifically, the one regarding Margo and Alec's relationship.

It was strained, Margo could feel it. Though they were as close as could be, ever since Clary's arrival, Alec's been closed off to everyone, including his love interest.

Margo gave him space, lots of it, but somehow they kept finding their way back to each other. So, shouldn't that have been what mattered?

She knew that it should've been, but it wasn't. Margo missed their relaxed friendship. It seemed like all Alec cared about now were the rules and what the Clave would think and everything else bothered him. He always snapped at his sister, whether it was about his feelings or his attitude. Izzy didn't deserve that.

Margo's train of thought stopped when Isabelle tapped her on the shoulder, pulling her away from the tub of ice cream and towards the weapons area of HQ. Alec stood in front of a small table, runing arrows. He wore a denim button-up with the sleeves rolled up a bit, something completely different from his casual attire.

He eyed the girls as they closed the space between them. "Pick a weapon. I suggest your whip," he snarled at his sister.

Margo frowned, voicing her concern. "What's wrong with you?"

He looked over at the brunette, his brows furrowing. She'd never acknowledged his mood swings before. "Nothing."

Isabelle scoffed, crossing her arms before making her way to the seraph blades and daggers. "We're going to a Downworlder's rave. You should be a little more excited."

Alec glared at his younger sibling. "It's a mission, not a party."

Izzy shrugged him off, letting her fingers dance over the edge of her blade. "Before Clary got here, every day was the same: go on a mission, kill demons. Go on a mission, kill demons. At least how things are interesting."

Alec lost his top then. " _Interesting_? Valentine is alive and actively seeking the Cup. He threatens our entire world. And we're helping his daughter, who, by the way, we have no reason to trust. And who showed up out of nowhere. On top of that, we're going to end up overpaying some warlock who may or may not have information we need. So, no, Izzy... I don't find it interesting," he ranted.

Margo silently watched Alec as Izzy reacted. "Okay, whoa. Feel better now?"

"No, I don't," he denied before the smallest of smiles found its way to his face. "Okay, maybe a little."

Margo shook her head slowly, finding a lump in her throat when she tried to speak. This was not the same Alec whom she had fallen for slowly through the course of her time here. This was someone she barely recognized and it frightened her.

Isabelle didn't seem to notice her parabatai's dilemma. She instead advised her brother. "You can't keep bottling things up, Alec. It's only a matter of time before they explode. And not the fun kind of explode."

He ignored her, as he always did, and picked up his bow and arrows. "All right, let's go. And we're not going for the music," he grunted.

"That's what you think," Isabelle smirked before grabbing Margo's hand and following after her brother.


	10. Chapter 9: Hardtail

**CHAPTER 9: HARDTAIL**

 **[S1E4 Raising Hell (Part II)]**

* * *

Margo, Jace and Clary were currently waiting in line at the Hardtail nightclub.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Last time we were here, this place was crawling with vampires." Clary spoke up.

Jace rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. Margo took notice of the leather jacket he wore and cursed herself for not bringing one on this chilly night. "Relax, all Downworlders hang out here. We just came on vampire night."

"Right. And, when is all this going to sound normal to me?"

"I don't know." Jace turned to Margo, who had been awfully quiet and who hadn't perked up at the first opportunity to patrol the perimeter with the Lightwood siblings. Something was off with her, Jace could tell. " _Go_ , you okay?"

The brunette's head popped up as she heard her name, her eyes immediately finding Jace. She hesitated at answering but just as she opened her mouth to do so, Alec and Isabelle joined the trio. Margo's eyes scanned Alec for a few seconds before turning to the ground again. Jace noticed.

"All clear," Alec informed.

Isabelle stepped over to stand by her parabatai, linking arms with her. "Do you think red's my color?" she asked, grazing her hand over the ruby necklace Hodge had given her.

Margo rolled her eyes. "Babe, with a body like yours, everything's your color."

Isabelle seemed content with her answer. "Good point. Damn, I made this necklace look so good." She frowned, hating the thought of parting with it.

Alec grunted from behind her. "Will you take it off? I'm certain Magnus Bane doesn't want drool on his ruby when we make the exchange."

Isabelle smiled mischievously, nudging her parabatai. "You know, I wouldn't be so sure. Most men like it when I admire their jewels."

It was a good double entendre but Margo only gave a small smile to the comment, her thoughts still hanging heavy above her.

"Can you just give it to Jace?"

Isabelle giggled, unhooking the necklace and passing it back to Alec to pass to Jace. "You're such a buzzkill."

Alec, who hadn't glanced at Margo, was suddenly staring at her. The girl had barely acknowledged him since his temper tantrum back at the Institute.

When the five Shadowhunters walked into the club, it was clear that this was the biggest party of the year. The music was lively, the people were toxic - surely Magnus Bane had to be here.

"Blend in," Jace advised, "Keep your weapons ready."

Whilst Clary and Jace headed off to find Magnus, the Lightwood siblings and Margo stared between themselves. "I need a drink," Margo mumbled, quickly stepping away from the two and making her way towards the bar.

She rested her forearms on the tabletop in front of her as the bartender made his way over. "What can I get you, gorgeous?" he politely asked.

"Vodka diet coke," Margo replied, "Please."

He nodded, turning his back to her to make the cocktail. She was unaware of Alec's lingering eyes on her. He sighed from a few yards away before making his way towards her.

Alec leaned his elbow on the counter, turning to Margo. "Are you okay, _Go_?" he tentatively asked.

She nodded her head, keeping her eyes on anything that wasn't the boy next to her. "Fine."

"You sure?"

She knew he didn't like to talk about feelings but at this point, she couldn't have given less of a fuck. "Are _you_ okay?" she turned his question on him.

His eyes filled with confusion. "Yeah... I'm okay," he answered slowly.

"Really? Are you?"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

She growled, "You're not-" She cut herself off when the bartender slid Margo's drink over to her and accepted her five dollar bill as payment.

"Here you go, doll."

"Thank you." He eyed the two of them suspiciously before turning to the next customer. Margo turned back to Alec. "I thought you started acting different since Clary got here. But, that was just when I noticed it, wasn't it? It's been like this for a while, Alec, and I've been oblivious to it."

"To what?" He was starting to get frustrated. With frustration came anger and with anger came the raising of voices.

Alec hadn't ever raised his voice at Margo, at least not for something serious. He sometimes yelled at her when she spilled food on him or played a prank on him - that was mostly when they were younger.

"You tell me."

"Margo, I haven't been acting different."

She scoffed. "Really? So, you want to tell me why we're not like we used to be? You want to explain to me why everything Izzy says suddenly seems to get on your nerves? Or why Jace's interest in Clary somehow offends you? What's up with you, Alec?" Margo desperately asked.

He frowned, suddenly feeling himself raise his voice. "Nothing is up with me. Maybe I'm just stuck being the adult around here because all of you guys are acting like children. You know, maybe if you did something useful - you know, other than flirt all the time - we'd all be getting somewhere."

His words stumbled out of him before he could stop. The liquid courage he'd consumed just minutes before was now taking its toll. He didn't realize what he was saying or why he was saying it.

But Margo understood perfectly.

She pursed her lips, glaring at Alec, the one person she'd never expect would use a weakness against her. "You know what, Alec?" She could feel the tears gathering in her eyes as she blinked furiously. "Go fuck yourself."

She made a quick exit, leaving her drink untouched at the bar. Isabelle caught up to her, unaware of what had just transpired between her older brother and her best friend.

" _Go_ ," she called out to her parabatai, feeling an ache in her own heart. She was feeling the full extent of the parabatai bond - all intense, overwhelming emotions Margo felt, Isabelle did too. "Margo." She grabbed her best friend's bicep, pulling her back to face Isabelle.

She sniffled, tears falling out of her eyes as she used the back of her hand to try and stop them. She was having a hard time breathing. She could feel her chest tighten and her lungs fail to provide her with a sufficient amount of oxygen. "Iz," she simply said before letting her emotions take over.

The tears rolled down her cheeks freely as she clung to her best friend, trying to tame her uneven breathing. There the two girls stood, in the middle of a nightclub, wrapped up in a hug.

"Margo, what's wrong?" She was afraid to ask... afraid that she already knew the answer... afraid that she had guessed correctly.

"A-Alec," Margo stuttered, hiccuping as she sniffled.

Isabelle closed her eyes, sighing and shaking her head. She knew it.

She'd never seen Margo so emotional. It was rare for her to even let a tear slip in private, let alone in public. But, here she was, bawling her eyes out as her best friend rubbed her back.

Isabelle guided Margo towards a secluded corner of the club, grabbing a few napkins off a vacant table and dabbing away under Margo's eyes.

Her crying had subsided in the span of twenty minutes, all thanks to her parabatai. Isabelle had rubbed her back, spoken soft, encouraging words to her, and held her hand until she stopped crying.

Margo was sure she looked like a mess now. Her face felt blotchy and her nose stuffy. Her under-eyes were surely swollen a bit from all the water she had unwillingly let loose. Her hands shook. She stared at the ground for a moment until a woman wailed from a few feet away. "Look out!"

Margo's eyes followed where the woman's hands were pointing, eyeing Magnus Bane as an arrow flew through the air, hitting a man behind him. His eyes widened in shock.

Margo looked back at Isabelle, who led her towards Clary and Jace.

As Jace glanced back at the two, he took notice of Margo's ill condition. She shook her head at him, letting him know not to ask, at least not now. He nodded, moving to secure the perimeter.

A head of raven-colored hair swooshed past Margo, hunching down beside the man he'd just shot with an arrow of his. "Who are you?" Margo heard Magnus ask as he eyed Alec. He turned to walk through the portal he had created moments before but Clary caught his arm.

"Magnus, wait! You're my only hope."

"Valentine found us. I warned your mother this might happen." Magnus slipped past her grip as he entered the portal, leaving only a button in Clary's possession.

Jace returned, stating, "The area's secure. Looks like he was the only assassin."

Alec leaned down to glance at the man. "He has a Circle rune on the base of his neck."

"They found us," Isabelle whispered.

Jace agreed. "It's not safe here. We have to go." Margo followed after Isabelle as Jace hurried Clary.

The five Shadowhunters exited the club, more than half feeling overwhelmed by emotions.

Clary moved in front of Margo and when she stopped, so did the brunette. "Clary, _Go_ , we have to move," Jace urged as Isabelle walked over to her two girl friends.

"I'm catching my breath," Clary informed. Margo remained silent, simply staring ahead at Clary.

Alec and Jace stopped a few feet away, the former of whom completely lost his shit. "You know what? This is great. Not only did Magnus not get the girl her memories back, he took the necklace. This is fantastic..."

"Alec, the girl... Her name is Clary and I highly suggest you keep your voice down," Jace growled.

"Why? What, are you afraid I'm going to upset her? We have risked our lives again and again for this girl, and where has it gotten us?" Jace avoided looking him in the eye. "Nowhere. We're no closer to getting the Mortal Cup. And we've lost the Institute's necklace."

Clary seemed to gain her breath back then. "Hey, I am right here," she snapped at Alec, "And I don't care about your damn jewelry. I'm sorry you're going to look bad in front of your bosses, okay? But my mother is still missing and my last chance at finding her just disappeared into thin air."

Isabelle grabbed her friend's hand. "Clary, it's going to be fine." She glanced between Margo and Clary, her two heartbroken friends.

Margo looked at the redhead, deep in thought. If one of them needed to be strong right now, it was Clary. After all, Margo was just useless, according to Alec.

"No, it's not!" She ripped her hand out of Isabelle's. "People are dying because of me. And Magnus? Magnus will never come out of hiding again while Valentine is still after him." She let out a heartless laugh. "We're never going to find him. And I will-I will never get my memories back."

How had a night full of so much promise end so terribly?

At the beginning of the day, Isabelle and Margo were inexplicably excited for this night, but now that they were there, both were miserable.

Margo caught Clary's hand, grabbing the button Magnus had left in Clary's possession. "You give up way too easy," she commented before grabbing Isabelle's hand and leading her a few feet away. "Ready, parabatai?" She looked up, catching the brown eyes of her best friend.

She smiled softly, nodding. Though she hadn't told her, Isabelle thought Margo was fucking strong - she could withstand all of Alec's shit and somehow still come up on top. She'd stopped her hysterics because she knew that there was an important mission at hand. The traces of dried tears on her face didn't make her look weak. They made her strong.

Margo grabbed Isabelle's hand as her parabatai did the same. They held the button between them, each using their steles to draw a rune on the other.

"What are they doing?" Clary asked.

Alec cleared his throat. "Parabatai tracking. Be quiet and keep your distance."

"The button belonged to Magnus. Together, Margo and Isabelle can pinpoint the location using that. When parabatais track, their power grows stronger. They're going to track Magnus together," Jace informed her.

Clary hesitated before replying. "This whole parabatai thing seems oddly intimate, if you ask me."

"You don't know the half of it."

The pair of girls closed their eyes, clasping their hands together, button in between, and concentrating. They parted not long after, both letting out content sighs, feeling drained of energy.

"Got him," Margo confirmed, preparing herself for the battle that was to come all too soon.


	11. Chapter 10: Memories

**CHAPTER 10: MEMORIES**  
 **[S1E4 Raising Hell (Part III)]**

* * *

The location they had pinpointed wasn't more than five minutes away, if even that. That's what Margo kept repeating when Alec slowed down to walk in step with her as she strolled a few steps behind everyone. "Margo-" He tried to grab her hand.

She shook her head, staring straight ahead. "Stop." She wiggled herself out of his grip. "We're not doing this now, not here." Her words came out strong and confident; she tried hard to make sure they did.

He pulled at her bicep, pulling the girl back. She stood in front of him now, staring right up into his hazel eyes. Though he could tell she had been crying, she showed no signs of continuing to do so. He took a deep breath in, raking his mind for what to say. What could he possibly say that would undo the damage he'd already caused?

Before he could even try to come up with a solution, Isabelle spoke up from a few feet away, bringing the two back to reality. "Magnus' lair is right behind that fence." Margo glanced back at Alec before speeding to catch up with her parabatai.

She pulled out her seraph, preparing for any attacks.

"Magnus lives in a warehouse?" Clary asked.

Margo tilted her head to the side. "Not exactly. Warlock glamour."

Isabelle stopped everyone, holding a hand up. "Something's wrong. It's far too easy to get this close. His protective wards must be down."

Alec turned to Clary. "You... don't get in the way."

She glared at him before her eyes, as well as all of her friends', turned at the sound of a man grunting and a sword slicing. "Oh, God!" Clary yelled, "Valentine found Magnus!"

The five dispersed, Margo conveniently finding herself leading Clary ahead. From afar, they saw a small girl leaning down to a man. "Daddy, get up, please!"

As another man approached her, seraph out and ready to shed blood, Clary yelled out, "Watch out!"

"Clary Fairchild. Valentine will be so pleased to meet you."

Margo's eyes widened as she found herself taking action and pushing the attacker away from the girl using brute force. With the help of Jace and Isabelle, the attacker was on the ground, a dagger in his back, a few moments later.

She turned back to Clary, who now had her arms protectively around the girl. "Stick close," she advised the two, "It's safest if we stay together."

Clary reassured the girl as Izzy caught up to Margo, latching onto her arm.

After the others fought off the other intruders, Margo, Isabelle, Clary and the small girl, whom they'd learned was named Zoe, found their way to Magnus Bane.

"Magnus," Margo called, catching his attention. He smiled at the little girl as he hugged her, allowing her to go back and join the others afterwards.

He turned to Margo once she was gone. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting yet. I'm Magnus and you are?"

"Margo," she introduced, politely sticking a hand out for him to shake.

Instead, he took her hand in his, kissing the back of it. _What a gentleman_ , Margo thought. "I heard what you and Clary did for Zoë, risking your lives without hesitation to save a young warlock child."

"She was a kid in trouble. We didn't really have a choice," Margo replied.

"You always have a choice." Margo shrugged, excusing herself as Magnus started to speak directly to Clary. She found Isabelle and leaned slightly on her best friend, feeling drained from all the activity they had participated in.

She vaguely heard Magnus say, "Hold tight, everyone, we're about to move," before she felt energy pulsating through the room. Through her tiredness, she hadn't firmly planed her feet down and had somehow landed on the couch a few feet away, right on top of Alec.

She did not realize that when she reopened her eyes, taking notice that the Shadowhunters were now in Magnus' lair. Margo sighed, leaning back until she felt Alec under her, the back of her head resting on his shoulder. She cleared her throat, quickly gathered herself and shuffling to her feet next to Jace, some distance away from the older Lightwood.

She heard Magnus sigh deeply as Alec stood up, eyeing the mess around his lair. "Ah, much better," Magnus commented with a smile, "Ugh, it's inevitable. After each move, I get the itch to redecorate. Normally, I love a dirty lair, but this one is just sloppy." He eyed Alec as he spoke, getting an odd, confused look back from the brunette.

Alec found his way over to Jace and Margo, leaving the girl standing in between the two boys. "I believe in services rendered," Magnus stated, turning to Isabelle and holding out the ruby. "Thank you for defending the warlocks."

Isabelle instantly shook her head. "I couldn't."

He raised an eyebrow, walking around and clasping the necklace around her neck. "Oh, but you could. And you should. The Lightwoods have been wearing this for years. Besides, this would look silly on your brother."

Isabelle chuckled as Alec turned to Jace, both speaking in hushed voices with Margo in between. "About Alec, is he more of a flower or cologne man?" she heard Magnus softly ask Isabelle, who only chuckled again.

Margo found herself frowning, her hand immediately and subconsciously latching onto the hem of Alec's shirt, tugging. When he suddenly stopped talking to Jace and looked down at the brunette, he saw her staring at Magnus. He pressed a kiss to the side of her head, one that had gone unknown by everyone who wasn't the receiver.

She snapped her head up, her fingers quickly retracting from his button-up shirt.

"Okay, so how do we summon the memory demon?" Clary asked, cutting the small-talk.

Magnus stepped out from behind Isabelle. "Are you certain? Summoning such a powerful demon could be lethal."

Clary nodded. "I'll do anything to save my mother. Where is the demon?"

Magnus nodded, still staring at her as he addressed the boy beside him. "Okay. Pretty boy, get your team ready."

Jace glanced around at everyone, walking up to Clary. "You know what to do-"

He was cut off as Magnus stopped him. "I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to... _you_." He turned to Alec, who was standing right behind Margo, his chest touching her back. He smiled, shrugging at his parabatai when he looked at him.

Magnus waved Clary to him, leading her into another room, giving her a task, before also luring Jace in.

He returned soon after, announcing that they'd have some time before Clary could draw the pentagram to summon the demon.

Isabelle sat down next to Magnus on the couch as Margo walked off to ransack through his impressive collection of books.

She was unaware that Alec had followed her and had only noticed when she stepped around the bookshelf, seeing his figure leaning against the piece of furniture.

"Not now, Alec," Margo groaned, trying to pass by him.

"Yes, now," he argued, holding her steady.

She sighed, crossing her arms as she stood in front of the boy. Her eyes glanced behind him, ensuring that they had privacy in that Isabelle and Magnus could not see or hear the pair.

Margo waited for Alec to say something but after a few silent moments, her feet led her away.

Before she even got three feet, he said it.

"I'm sorry."

Margo stopped dead in her tracks. She couldn't recall the last time Alexander Lightwood had apologized in such a sincere manner. She sighed, sensing all her bottled-up feelings resurfacing.

She didn't turn around to look at him, because she knew that if she did, she would be putty in his hands.

"You called me worthless, Alec."

Her voice cracked. She could tell he noticed by the way his breathing hitched. His hand caught hers, pulling her around to look at him.

"I'm sorry, Margo," he said again. "I didn't mean it. You _know_ I didn't mean it. You're not worthless, not in the slightest. You're more useful than any of us know. Without you, the team wouldn't be _the team_. I don't know-I was just saying anything because I was stressed out."

She paused, unsure how to respond.

He cupped her face in his hands. "Listen to me, baby. I didn't mean it, I'm so sorry. You were right, something is going on with me but, until I'm sure what it is and until I'm ready, I can't tell you. Don't ever listen to me when I say things like that. It's not me talking, it's the angrier _Hulk Smash_ version..."

Margo cracked a smile at the comic-book reference to her favorite superhero. Alec noticed, gaining a similar smile on his face.

"I apologize, _Go_. I'm so sorry I ever said that you."

She sighed. It was more than she expected. It was overwhelming, honestly. Margo was feeling an intense amount of emotions in a short period of time.

So, she did the only thing that felt right.

She smashed right into Alec's chest, wrapping her arms around him.

It wasn't a breathtaking apology but it was enough for her. It was enough for her to start to overlook his mistaken words.

As far as apologies go, Alec was never one for voicing his regret. He never apologized, _ever_. And that's why Margo forgave him. She knew it was rare for him to say such words and she appreciated that he directed them to her. He was sincere and that was all that mattered.

They pulled back from the hug after some time, softly smiling at each other. Before Margo could even consider the thought of kissing Alec, Clary's voice rang out through the halls.

As they walked to her, Alec rested a hand on the small of Margo's back, leaning to whisper into her ear. "I never told you how hot you look in that dress."

Margo's smile widened as her and Alec entered the adjacent room, joining everyone in surrounding Clary and the now complete pentagram.

"Jocelyn was right - your artistry is beyond compare," Magnus complimented.

Clary's shrugged, wiping her chalky hands on her bare legs. "I don't know about that."

"Oh, the only other person I've known who could draw as well was Michelangelo, who was _excellent_ in bed, I might add." He took a long, not-so-subtle look over at Alec.

Margo took notice, inching closer to Alec's body. His hand moved up and down, rubbing her back comfortingly. The pair glanced at Isabelle when she giggled.

"Okay, we're ready. Everyone take your rightful place on the pentagram."

Margo looked around, noticing there was six of them and only five sides. "I'll sit this one out," she offered, taking a few steps back, directly behind Isabelle and Alec.

"Nonsense, come join your parabatai," Magnus insisted, allowing Margo to join Isabelle at her spot on the pentagram. "We must initiate a bond. Once this bond is sealed, it cannot be broken until the demon retreats. No matter what happens, we must not let go of each other's hands."

Everyone clasped hands, hearing low booming sounds as the tether bonded them together. Margo could feel her hands start to warm up as she intertwined them with Jace and Isabelle's. Across from her stood Alec, looking slightly out of place between Clary and Magnus.

"I will lead the ceremony, and you must all do exactly as I say. The demon's name is Valak. And, at some point, he will ask for payment in exchange for Clary's memories."

Margo's brows furrowed. "What do you mean? What kind of payment?"

Magnus smiled oddly at her. "We will see. Let us begin." He closed his eyes, starting to confidently speak Chthonian.

"The necklace," Izzy gasped from beside Margo, "It's pulsing." Everyone's eyes drifted to the ruby necklace she wore before snapping their heads up as a large, black smoke filled the space inside the pentagram. The creature growled dangerously.

"Valak is among us. Do not break the bond." Margo tried her hardest to grip tightly onto Jace and Isabelle's hands as the wind picked up, rushing around. "It is time; the demon demands payment."

Alec yelled over the wind, "What does it want?"

"We must relinquish a beloved memory of the one we love the most."

Izzy's memory ventured out out to the demon first: it was of her older brother, who stood across from her and Margo.

Valak then took Jace's and Clary's, both of their respective parents.

Alec was next, his memory was of Margo. The brunette smiled at that. He loved her.

Then went Margo.

She yelped, feeling herself give up a memory of herself and a man whom she did not recognize. It was a memory dug deep inside her soul, she could feel it's ascent. In the memory, she couldn't have been older than five. The man was in his late twenties, pushing her on a swing. His dark hair and green eyes were parallel to Margo's. She giggled and swung her legs, looking back at the man. " _Higher, papa_ ," she urged him to push the swing higher.

As Margo tried to understand the memory, of which she could not recall, she felt her hands start to sweat as they slowly slipped from Jace and Isabelle's. "Who is that? I-I don-t..." She squired in place, feeling overwhelmed with emotions.

A plethora of memory fragments engulfed her brain. She saw the man in almost all of them. He started to age handsomely as the memories passed. In the last fraction, he was holding a pre-teen Margo's hands, leaning down a bit to catch her eyes.

" _Baby, it's going to be okay_ ," he promised, and somehow Margo could feel her younger self trusting him. He eyed the front door before turning back to Margo, fixing her hooded coat. " _I'm sorry for what I'm about to do._ "

Margo understood. " _I love you, Dad._ "

He smiled softly. " _Yeah, I get that a lot._ " He ruffled up her hair playfully. " _I love you too, kid._ " He kissed her cheek softly, pulling her into a hug before standing up. He spoke slowly in what Margo recognized as Chthonian just as banging sounded through the front door.

And when the door burst open, the memory ended.

"Margo, it's okay!" Isabelle reassured, trying to grip onto her parabatai's hand.

"No!" Margo screamed, feeling her hands slip out from her friends' before they were all sent flying backwards.

Margo slammed against the wall forcefully before landing on the floor. "I cannot contain the demon much longer," Magnus announced. She groaned, looking across the room to see Alec stand up and walk towards the demon.

Before he could do anything rash, Jace pushed him away, never noticing the demon surround him until he had the blonde in his grip. "Jace!" Isabelle ran over, grabbing his hand and trying to pull him out of the demon's grasp. "Grab him!" she ordered her brother, who helped her pull.

"The demon is growing stronger," Magnus yelled. Isabelle desperately turned to Clary, begging for help. The redhead held out her seraph. "Clary, if you kill the demon, your memories will be lost forever!" The creature screeched as Clary stabbed it with her blade without a second thought.

The two Lightwoods and the Wayland boy landed in a heap. "Jace! Oh, my God, Jace." Margo's eyes landed on Jace, who wasn't moving.

"Jace, get up. Jace," Alec urged.

"Is he going to be alright?" Clary asked as Isabelle slowly walked over to her parabatai, leaning down to look at her.

Magnus shrugged. "I don't know. Does he normally just lay like that without moving?"

Isabelle cupped Margo's shoulder, clutching onto it. " _Go_ , are you okay?" The brunette wordlessly nodded, avoiding eye-contact as Isabelle helped her up. At the same moment, Jace took a large inhale, gasping and coughing. He breathed heavily, weakly whispering, "I'm all right. I'm all right," to those around him.

Margo felt awful. How could she let something like this happen to Jace all because of her selfish emotions? She felt ashamed of herself.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Margo," Magnus spoke as he neared her, practically reading her mind.

Her lips tightened into a line. It was one thing to internally think about how embarrassed she was, but to have someone else voice it - that was unacceptable in her books. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You will."

And just as she had done with her father all those years ago, she trusted Magnus' words, understanding that her memories would surely come back to haunt her.


	12. Chapter 11: Window Into the Weird

**CHAPTER 11: WINDOW INTO THE WEIRD**  
 **[S1E5 Moo Shu to Go (Part I)]**

* * *

Margo hadn't talked to anyone since they returned to the Institute.

She hadn't spoken to Alec or Jace or even her own parabatai.

She had gone straight to her room, shutting the door softly before locking it.

It was clear to the other four Shadowhunters that Margo had felt guilty for letting the demon free. But, none of them blamed her. It was obviously a remarkably unique situation she was in.

As they all gathered in the den, each taking a seat on the couch, one by one. Though they never realized it, they had all been thinking the same thing - what would they have done if they were in Margo's position?

Each of them had the same exact answer. None would've done anything different. If they hadn't known their parents and suddenly saw a memory of them, they would all fly off the handle.

That was when the four realized how completely rational Margo's response was.

And they all looked between themselves, silently contemplating whether someone should go up and console the Devereaux girl.

"I'll do it," Jace sighed as he stood up.

Alec shook his head. "I'm practically her boyfriend. I'll go."

Isabelle huffed, crossing her arms. "I'm her parabatai. No one knows her better than me. I should do it."

They all quietly argued among themselves until Clary stood up, nearing the door. "I'll do it," she announced.

" _You_?"

She shrugged. "Yeah. I mean, unless any of you have erased memories locked away somewhere about your mysterious parents, too?"

They were all left speechless as Clary, the last person they expected to go after Margo, did just that.

She made it up to Margo's room, eyeing the wooden pattern on her door before taking a deep breath and going to knock.

From the inside of the room, Margo was curled up in her bed. Her dress had creases and wrinkles in it. Her shoes were messily taken off on the floor by her bed.

Upon hearing the knock, Margo used the back of her hand to wipe the small amount of tears that had gathered in her eyes. " _Go_ , it's Clary. You mind opening up?"

She wasn't sure why she did it but she did it. She slipped out of bed, walking over and unlocking the door. It opened to reveal a worried-looking Clary, who immediately made her way in, closed the door and turned back to hug Margo, who stood an inch or two shorter.

At first, the brunette was frozen, shocked of what had just happened. Then, slowly, she hugged Clary back, resting her head on her friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry," she whispered out an apology. "I'm sorry I let the demon go. If I hadn't, you wouldn't have had to kill it and we could've still recovered your memories."

"It's okay," Clary reassured, rubbing her new friend's back before they pulled away. "Listen, Margo, you have nothing to feel guilty about. It my choice to kill the demon and Jace's to try and protect Alec by getting in the way."

Margo sighed, feeling a tear escape her eye as she made her way back to her bed. "I'm still sorry. God, they must all hate me." Her thoughts wandered to the three Shadowhunters she had failed.

"They do not hate you. They love you very much, every single one of them. If we were put in your shoes, none of us would've made a different decision. Your memory came as a surprise to all of us, Margo - no one blames you."

Margo nodded, feeling Clary sit next to her. She shut her eyes, dozing off quickly after. The redhead looked beside her, contemplating whether to stay with her friend to leave her be. She decided on the former, taking her shoes off as she climbed into bed next to Margo, pulling the covers up.

When Margo woke up the next morning, Clary was gone. But, when she returned from the shower, wearing a pair of flowy shorts under an oversized sweater belonging to Alec Lightwood, Clary was sat on her bed.

"Come on," she urged. "I'll make you breakfast."

The brunette nodded wordlessly and captured the redhead's hand in hers as they walked down the stairs.

Clary did make Margo breakfast, as promised. She used the waffle iron to create some chocolate chip waffles for her emotional friend.

When Isabelle passed by them, she stopped, did a double take and made her way over to the two girls. "There you two are."

Margo's head snapped up. She hadn't talked to her parabatai since last night, since she had just wreaked havoc all over Magnus's lair.

She gulped, allowing Isabelle to pull her off her chair and towards the exit, but not before Margo grabbed another waffle in her hand to go. "I think we need some fresh air. Are you okay?"

Isabelle took Margo's hand, pressing a soft kiss to the back of it. Margo shrugged, answering Isabelle's question perfectly.

The three girls made their way to through the Institute, somehow landing a few feet away from the front door. By now, the topic of interest had changed to Clary and her necklace. Apparently, she had used it as a portal to see Valentine and her unconscious mother. It seems that Alec had taken the necklace and stored it in a safe place, away from Clary.

"So, Alec blew right by you and did what he wanted. I'd be angry, too," Isabelle commented, rolling her eyes.

Her and her parabatai could read the frustration on Clary's face. "He took the only way I had to see my mother. Plus, he kept asking what Valentine's room looked like."

"He was interested in Valentine's style?" Izzy joked, nudging her best friend. "Fascinating."

Margo chuckled. "I'm sure he thought Clary could've seen something that could help us find him." Clary nodded. "And did you?"

"I think I might know another way..."

Before Clary could expand on her thought, the door in front of the three girls opened, revealing none other than Maryse Lightwood, Alec and Izzy's mother.

Isabelle's eyes widened, glancing Margo's way. Her parabatai seemed to have the same speechless reaction.

"Isabelle. Margo." She eyed the two young girls, and their wardrobes. "Dressed to impress, I see." She eyed the ruby necklace Magnus had given Isabelle. "And you've been playing with the family heirlooms."

She turned to Margo. "And apparently, you've been playing with my son." Margo coughed uncomfortably, tugging Alec's sweatshirt down a bit.

Clary took notice of the two girls in a crisis and decided to intervene. "Hi, I'm Clary Fray." She held a hand out.

"Clary _Fairchild_ ," Maryse corrected. "You look just like your mother." Clary took in a sharp inhale as Maryse continued. "We know all about you in Idris."

"Idris?"

Margo turned to her redheaded friend. "The Shadowhunter homeland. If you think the Institute is well-hidden, wait till you see that place."

Isabelle turned to her mother. "Where's Max?" An instant smile was brought into Margo's face at the mention of the youngest Lightwood. "We all miss him."

Margo turned to their new friend, who had no idea who Max was. "Little brother. Cute but clingy. Kinda Simon-ish."

"Robert's picking him up at the Mumbai Institute. Where's Jace? We have a situation that has to be handled now." She walked off then, in search of Jace, leaving only the echoing sounds of her heels clicking behind her.

The three girls turned to each other. "Well, that's my mom," Isabelle notified Clary as the three girls followed behind Maryse.

"Is your mom always like that? She didn't even hug you."

Isabelle chuckled. "Shadowhunters aren't big huggers." Margo grinned, pulling Izzy into a hug. "With the he exception of this one," she revised her sentence, laughing as her best friend's arms tightened around her.

The three girls followed behind Maryse as she strolled up to Jace.

When Jace stopped training, he took notice of Isabelle's mother, standing on the sidelines smiling. "Maryse," he greeted, hugging her. "Hey, it's good to see you. How's everyone in Idris? Where's, uh... Where's Max?"

Isabelle walked the three girls up to Jace and Maryse. "No Max. Just Mom with her hair on fire."

"I love how Shadowhunters share. A hidden brother, a secret country, and a private portal," Clary playfully spoke, eyeing Jace.

Alec walked up to the group then, turning to Maryse. "Mother. Welcome back. We didn't expect to see you."

"You should be prepared, whether you expect me or not."

Margo growled, crossing her arms and leaning against Isabelle, letting her parabatai throw an arm over her shoulder. "I am," Alec responded, glancing Margo's way. " _We_ are."

Maryse looked between Alec and Jace, ignoring the two girls as she spoke to the golden children. "We'll talk about the Institute later. Right now, we have a bigger problem. The Seelies have stopped communicating with the Clave and won't explain why. My guess is, they're still upset we asked them to send scouts to look for Valentine, but no one in their realm will talk."

Isabelle perked up, trying to be helpful. She spoke up before Margo could stop her. "I have Seelie friends."

Maryse turned to her daughter, clicking her tongue and making her way in front of Isabelle and Margo. The latter of the two girls was pulled away by Alec as his mother spoke directly to Isabelle. "Yes, I know about your _friends_. Isabelle, we stay separate from the Downworld for good reasons.

"The wrong move, the wrong word... Do you think there is such a thing as harmless rebellion? Who knows what offends these creatures? Maybe you told _him_... _them_... something they shouldn't know. Maybe you trod on one of their ridiculous customs without knowing it."

Margo frowned, going to take a step forward until her waist was caught by Alec, who pulled her back, silently shaking his head at her. But, he couldn't stop Jace. "Wait, wait," the blonde protested. "I don't understand. You're laying all this on Izzy for having a friend in the Downworld?"

Maryse then turned to Jace, all evidence of their joyous reunion gone from her face. "When someone upsets the natural order, everything falls apart."

Margo couldn't help herself. "Natural order?" she scoffed. "What are you saying?"

"I can help," Isabelle firmly stated. "I know how to talk to Seelies."

Alec jumped in, defending his sister. "She's right. She can visit with Meliorn and see what he knows. I could go with her if you want."

Maryse eyed her son before turning to his blonde parabatai and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'd rather Jace goes along this time. Alec, Margo, you two stay with the Fairchild girl. I want her under control. She's caused enough trouble already."

Margo snickered at the comment, playfully turning to Clary. As compared to the redhead, the brunette was used to such claims from Maryse Lightwood and knew better than to think twice about them.

Clary, however, was not amused at the older woman's words. "Maybe that's because I wasn't even a Shadowhunter until a few days ago!"

"And what an exciting few days it has been," came Maryse's snarky reply. She turned to Alec. "The Clave counts on us Lightwoods to maintain order here."

His facial expressions matched hers. He was definitely not feeling entertained right now, Margo could tell. "You don't need to tell me that. If the mission is important to the Clave, I would prefer to be the one who goes with Isabelle," he replied from directly behind Margo.

Maryse chuckled. "You're all so eager to do what you would prefer. It's time to face the truth. Life is not about what you want to do, it's about what must be done. I have given you your assignments, now carry them out." She pointed to Jace and Isabelle. "You and you, with me, _now_."

The two followed after Maryse as she walked away from Alec, Margo and Clary. The redhead walked over to the couple, eyeing Maryse as she left, crossing her arms. "Well, that was a window into the weird. What did you do to piss off your mom?"

"I'd guess, for a start... all the unsanctioned missions on your behalf didn't go over that big with the Clave." He groaned, eyeing the two girls. "Now, you stay here," he ordered Clary. "Margo and I are going to have a talk." He grabbed Margo's hand, pulling her away from Clary, up the stairs to his room.

She slowly sat down on his bed as he sat in front of her, placing his hands comfortingly on her thighs. "Are you okay?" he asked softly, watching as she pulled at the sleeves of his sweatshirt that currently adorned her body.

"Fine."

" _Margo_."

She glanced up, catching his eye and spilling everything. "I just-I just feel guilty, Alec. And I know you and Jace and the girls don't blame me, but I do. And I'm not ready to forgive myself, okay? That's it."

He paused a moment. "Okay," he agreed. "But you've gotta stop acting so down all the time. I get you need time but I just miss the old Margo. Tell her to come back."

Margo smiled, leaning over and hugging the life out of the raven-haired boy across from her. "I love you so much." Maybe she meant it as a friend or maybe as something more.

However Alec took it, he replied to her comment the way she hoped he would. "I love you, too."

As they pulled apart, Alec's phone rang. Margo nodded her head, allowing him to take the call. "Hello? Who is this?"

It was Magnus, Margo could hear, and he wanted to _go out for a drink some time_ with Alec.

Alec hung up soon after denying his invitation to hang out right now. At the moment, he was with his girl and nothing was going to take him away.

Alec offered to grab some snacks to eat from downstairs while Margo prepared a movie-watching session. As she was scrolling through the movies, Clary knocked her door, entering soon after. She was dressed to go out.

"I need your help," she simply told her brunette friend. "We can't tell Alec."

Without a second thought, Margo grabbed her jacket, following Clary out the door.

An hour later, Margo was stood beside Clary, watching as the mundanes walked the streets. Suddenly, Clary's phone started ringing. Margo's eyes widened, hurrying her friend, telling her to silence it.

She took a step, her back hitting someone's chest. Margo didn't have to turn around to know whose chest it was. She closed her eyes, sighing as she let out a curse. "Oh, _fuck_."


End file.
